


Dancing through life

by darcy81



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dating, Developing Relationship, Endgame Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Multi, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Stalking, Tiny bit of Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-02-13 22:29:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 97,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12993885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darcy81/pseuds/darcy81
Summary: They meet in Shortys and dance the night away-but Waverly isn't sure she's ready for commitment, and Nicole has the patience of a saint





	1. Chapter one

Chapter one

It was fair to say that Waverly Earp had had a shitty day. Her jeep had broken down 4 miles from civilisation, and she had had to trudge to the nearest farm just to get some phone signal. Because of this, she had missed one of her lectures at Calgary University on Greek Mythology and how it can be applied to modern day literature-a lecture she had been VERY much looking forward to. And on top of that, when she had phoned her boyfriend, Champ, to ask him to come and rescue her-his phone was answered by a female voice she was pretty fucking certain belonged to Stephanie Jones. Which is how she had found herself waiting for her sister Wynonna to come and pick her up from a very nice, if not somewhat chatty old farmer by the name of Thomas Nelson.

Wynonna had recently returned from travelling across Europe, and was trying really hard to prove to Waverly that she can be there for her. They hadn’t always spent time together, and god Waverly had been lonely growing up without her, but they were close non the less-and Waverly was delighted to have her back in her life-however brief it may be.

The sound of Wynonna’s truck brought Waverly back from her thoughts, and she was relieved to see that Wynonna had kept to her word, and come to pick her up immediately.

‘Sup baby girl’. Waverly loved the pet name her older sibling called her, and so instantly smiled when it was used.

‘Hey nonna’ she replied none too cheerily. Wynonna frowned at her younger sister. Waverly was never solemn. She was constantly perky. That’s one of the things people liked most about her. She was voted nicest person in Purgatory. She had a sash and everything…

‘Okay. Spill. What did Chump do this time?’

‘Not so much what but whom I think…’ Waverly retorted before realising how infuriated her sister would be at the revelation. The silence was deafening, and Waverly was pretty sure that if you could hear the look on Wynonna’s face, it would be a terrifying sound…

‘Right… We’re going out tonight’ Wynonna eventually replied. Waverly was momentarily stunned. She was expecting rage. She wasn’t expecting such a calm response. She was so taken aback, they were in the truck and planning their evening before Waverly could think of a reason not to. The Earps were known for their party ways (well, Wynonna was) and Waverly actually agreed for once that maybe a night out was what she needed. They decided that whilst Shorty’s was not their ideal location, the beer was cheap, the music was good and there was a room the girls could crash in if they drank too much and couldn’t drive home-although, Waverly already knew her sister would drink too much-it’s what she did best…

 

Nicole’s car came to a stop outside the modest house she had recently purchased. She wouldn’t ordinarily buy something so soon, but she knew in her heart that she was destined to be sheriff in this town one day and so why waste money on rent when she had the money from the sale of her condo in Toronto just sitting in a bank account. The move from Toronto had come as a surprise to many. She was popular at the police station, and appeared to be happy-but ambition to move up the police ladder and a breakdown of a marriage can change a girl. She wasn’t sad about the break up. It was a long time coming, and truth be told, her and Shae were always better as friends than lovers-but she was apprehensive to make such a big move on her own. She knew she had to do it alone-and that had been the signal to her that her marriage was over. It was her lack of wanting her wife to join her that really showed her she was better off single. That and Shae’s own admittance that the last place she was going was to Purgatory. So with that decided, they said their goodbyes and parted ways amicably.

Nicole’s long legs needed a stretch after her epic journey, so once she’d dropped her bags into the master bedroom, let her cat, Calamity Jane, out of her carry basket and got her some fresh food and water, Nicole decided to head to the local store to grab some supplies. She doesn’t start her new job until Monday, so was planning to set the house up properly over the course of the weekend-but she wanted to grab the essentials to get her through tonight and the morning. She pulled up the zip to her winter coat, wrapped herself in a scarf and started off towards the store, pulling a beanie hat over her fiery red hair as she went.

Rounding the corner onto the main strip, Nicole was taking in her surroundings. The Police station was on her left, with a couple of squad cars parked out front. Nicole was idly wondering which one of those cars would be hers when her eyes caught sight of a leather clad brunette opening the doors to a bar called Shorty’s. The brunette was not the reason for Nicole to lose her breath. The woman she was holding the door open for was the reason she momentarily lost the ability to think straight. The woman was small. Well, she was probably around 5ft 4”, but to Nicole’s 5ft 9” frame, that was small. She had long light brown hair that was straight and fell to past her shoulders, and was wearing the tightest black jeans Nicole had ever seen. Her top half was covered in a leopard print coat, but Nicole could just tell there was something outstanding about this ladies figure. But that wasn’t what had caught Nicole’s attention. As she started into the bar, a dark haired girl had shouted across the street to her, and she had turned her head and smiled. Nicole felt her world shift. It sounded dramatic, but it was the only word she could think of to do the reaction justice. It felt like the only thing Nicole had to do in this world was make that woman smile. She had always been sceptical about love at first sight. But right now, at this exact moment, Nicole believed. She believed with every fibre of her being, that she had found someone. Yeah, she didn’t know her name, or where she was from, or even if there was a chance-but Nicole knew that she needed to take a chance and find out. Their eyes met fleetingly, and Nicole flashed a smile before turning away and continuing to walk to her destination-stopping herself from turning back to see if the girl was watching her. Checking her watch, she saw it was barely 8pm, so she decided to make it round the grocery store in double time and get back to her place as quickly as possible, so she could make up her bed and decide what to wear. Purgatory was a small town, and the bar options were limited, so she was going to take the risk and head back to the bar once she’d sorted herself out. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right.

 

Waverly and Wynonna were just getting into Shorty’s when Chrissy Nedley shouted out to them. Waverly hadn’t arranged to meet up with Chrissy, but they were good friends and she was always a welcome addition to any night out. As Chrissy crossed the street towards the Earp sisters, Waverly noticed a woman standing by the grocery store looking at them. Well, she thought the woman was looking at them, but couldn’t tell for sure. What she could tell was the woman was tall, and had the most exquisite red hair that was poking out from under her hat. Waverly wasn’t sure why she had noticed her. Perhaps it was because she knew everyone in Purgatory, and knew that this woman was not a regular face she’s seen about town. Perhaps it was the red hair she noticed poking out from under her beanie. Or perhaps, just maybe, it was the smile Waverly could swear spread across her lips when their eyes momentarily met across the street, before she watched the woman turn on her heel and head into the store.

The three ladies walked into Shorty’s and grabbed a booth at the back of the bar. Waverly was pretty sure Champ wouldn’t be in this evening-particularly if he was occupied with Stephanie fucking Jones, but just in case, Wynonna had made sure Gus, their aunt and owner of Shorty’s, was aware that if Champ entered, he needed to turn right back around and leave before Wynonna picked up a pool cue and used it to beat him senseless. Gus was used to the volatile nature of her eldest niece, and was also not a fan of Champ, so happily informed security that if Champ Hardy made an appearance this evening, he was not to be admitted. Whilst Gus hated seeing the youngest Earp hurting, she was hoping that this evening would signify the end of the relationship with the amateur rodeo ‘star’.

A couple of hours into the night, and Shorty’s had become pretty jumping. The band were a fairly decent covers band, and the crowd were happily partaking in dancing and singing along. None more so than Waverly Earp. Her and Chrissy had been drinking and dancing for as long as the band played, and the enigmatic singer-a guy who had a fairly full moustache and wore a black Stetson had even managed to catch Wynonna’s eye. Whilst the bar was extremely busy, the Earp sisters managed to keep the rounds coming. Waverly was sharing pitchers of beer with Chrissy, whilst Wynonna stuck to her standard whisky. And although Waverly was buzzing from the alcohol, she was wanting her night to last, so made sure she grabbed a bottle of water every now and then to keep her from getting too drunk. She wasn’t concerned with the hangover-Earps are almost as famous for their ability to drink without punishment as they are for anything else around their town-but rather she wanted to enjoy the night to its full, and knew that if she tried to keep up with Wynonna, she’d have to be put to bed before the clock struck midnight. Chrissy had sent her off to the bar to collect the next pitcher and a couple of bottles of water when she was banged into by a local guy known as stupid Carl. She was thrown into the back of a taller woman, who, in turn, was knocked into the pitcher of beer she had just bought, splashing the amber liquid all over her black top. Waverly at first punched stupid Carl in the arm, then swung round to apologise to the woman she had just soaked. As Waverly looked at the dark stain the liquid had splashed all over the torso of the stranger, her eyes travelled up to the face attached to the body and she momentarily lost her mind. Looking down at her was the red head Waverly had caught the eye of earlier in the evening. The woman, who was taller than Waverly by what felt like half a foot, had the kindest brown eyes Waverly had ever looked into. She locked eyes with Waverly and smiled a full smile, revealing the most impeccable dimples.

‘I am so, so sorry…’ Waverly managed to finally splutter out. She didn’t know why, but she felt like she was blushing.

‘Hey, don’t worry about it’ came the reply. Again, those dimples were flashed and Waverly felt like her heart had literally stopped for a moment.

‘Stupid Carl trying to dance this close to the bar. Please, I insist I buy you another pitcher as an apology’.

‘Well surely if it were stupid Carl’s fault, he should, by rights, be the one to buy me my beer?’ she replied with a smile creeping into the corners of her lips. Waverly blushed again-for absolutely no reason whatsoever. She hoped it was dark enough to hide it, but knew deep down it wasn’t. The woman cocked an eyebrow slightly at Waverly, and followed the statement up with ‘but if you’re seriously offering to buy me a drink, I would love a beer. But don’t worry about the pitcher, I’ll just have a glass’. Waverly was mesmerised. She didn’t know why, but she was. She managed to get her shit together enough to enquire ‘but what’ll your friends drink if I only buy you one?’ to which the woman once again smiled slightly and said ‘ah well I’m on my own, so seriously, just a glass will do-I only bought the pitcher to save the queue once the band finished their set. I’m a bit of a planner like that’. Waverly smiled a full, toothy grin at the stranger at the omission of her need to plan. Waverly was also a planner, and she found it endearing she wasn’t alone in this.

‘oh well in that case, you must come and join me and my friends. I’m Waverly. Waverly Earp-and I make it my business to never let a pretty girl (what?!) drink alone on a Friday night-its criminal’

‘Your business?! Well, Waverly Earp, far be it from me to get in the way of your business… I’m Nicole. Nicole Haught, and I would love to join you, if you’re sure I wouldn’t be gate crashing?’

Waverly was about to reply when she felt an arm hook itself round her shoulders and the fringing of her sisters leather jacket tickle her bare arms.

‘Well helllllooooooo there baby girl…. Whose your friend??’

‘Oh… this is Nicole. Stupid Carl banged into me and I ended up knocking beer all over her-I was just trying to convince her to let me buy her a replacement and have her join us for a drink’

‘Any good at pool Red?’ Wynonna asked suspiciously

‘Not too shabby’ Nicole replied with a smirk

‘Well then what are we waiting for? I’ve been desperate for a game all night and red here makes up our number to four. You two grab the booze, I’ll grab the table’

‘Nonna, all the tables are being played on’ Waverly observed, seeing a flaw in Wynonna’s plan

‘You leave that to me baby girl’ and with a wink, Wynonna disappeared back into the crowd and headed towards two unsuspecting guys who were just about to start their game. Waverly turned back to Nicole and smiled

‘She’s a hustler, she’s gonna beat those guys before we’ve got her next drink to her’

‘Ah I see….So I should make sure I’m on her team then should I?’

‘Oh no, she’s good-but I am infinitely better’ Waverly replied, confidence in herself soaring

‘Oh I don’t doubt you for a minute’ Nicole retorted, before giving her a wink and heading to the bathroom. Waverly felt her mouth go dry. Literally dry. She recovered quickly and ordered two pitchers of beer and six shots of whisky. Three for her, Chrissy and Nicole and three for Wynonna. Nicole returned to give her a hand with the drinks, and they cautiously made their way to the table at the back of the bar. After introducing Nicole to Chrissy, Wynonna decided it was Chrissy and Waverly Vs Nicole and her. They played for an hour or so, chatting easily to each other and laughing at Wynonna’s inability to lose gracefully. Nicole was aware that Waverly was watching her out of the corner of her eye, but wasn’t sure why. The women had an easy rapport, and the drinks continued to flow. Before too long, Nicole and Waverly were in a deep conversation about Waverly’s course and Waverly was regaling her frustration about missing the lecture earlier that day. Nicole listened intently, asking questions about the lecture itself and sounded like she had a genuine interest in the subject. She had taken a Greek mythology class at university as part of an English module and had found the whole thing incredibly interesting. Chrissy and Wynonna had ended up finishing the game themselves whilst Waverly and Nicole got lost in their conversation, and it was only when Wynonna’s head was turned by the lead singer of the band again, who had decided on their break in sets to hunt down Wynonna and try to charm his way into her affection, that they pulled themselves away from each other. Wynonna was pretty unapproachable on the whole, but decided this evening she would entertain the idea of this guy until she either got bored or horny.

Chrissy had started to flag during the final game of pool, so decided to head out before the band started again and it got even busier in the already bustling bar. As Chrissy was starting to get her stuff together and wind down her evening, Nicole declared it was her round, so headed off to the bar to replenish their drinks. Chrissy watched Waverly follow Nicole with her eyes, and was battling with herself whether or not to discuss her observations with her friend. Waverly was a loyal and honest friend, and Chrissy wanted the best for her. She wasn’t always the most open when it came to her private life, but Chrissy wasn’t about to walk away from her friend without some words of encouragement. She might not get told by Waverly how she was feeling, but Chrissy wasn’t ignorant to the fact Waverly had had her head turned by this new person-and it was something Chrissy knew should be investigated further by her friend. Putting her coat on, Chrissy checked where Nicole was before turning to Waverly and taking the plunge

‘So… Nicole seems nice…’

‘What? Yeah, I guess she does… I mean, it can’t be easy moving to a new town on your own and I know how unapproachable people in this town can be, so figured I’d invite her to join us… You didn’t mind did you Chris?’ Chrissy smiled at her friends reasoning-she didn’t doubt that was the reason why Waverly had extended the hand of friendship so readily to the woman, but Chrissy wasn’t blind. She knew Waverly when her interest had been piqued-and Nicole DEFINITELY piqued Waverly’s interest.

‘Oh gosh no!’ Chrissy replied enthusiastically ‘I think she’s fantastic! She’s kind, and funny and hot as hell!! If anything Waves, I think it’s a great idea you spend the rest of the night with her. And I mean the whole night…’ she continued with a wink

‘What?! Chrissy, what… I mean… no, what?’ Waverly spluttered. She had always been very comfortable with her fluid sexuality. She knew she was attracted to the person, not the gender-and Chrissy and her had spent hours discussing the lack of females in Purgatory that Waverly could feasibly date. In short, there were maybe five queer women in the town, and none of whom Waverly had any interest in. Chrissy was ultra aware that Nicole was currently ordering at the bar, so knew if she was going to say this, she had to say it now, and quickly. She took a deep breath, placed her hands on Waverly’s shoulders and looked her square in the eye

‘Waves. I love you, and I love your innocence, but even you can’t deny the heart eyes you two have been throwing over the pool table to each other for the last hour. The only person that hasn’t noticed is Wynonna, and you and I both know that’s just Wynonna being… well, Wynonna. She’s great Waverly. She’s great company, very funny, held her own with your sister, generous, and like I say, she’s totally in to you, so, as your friend, I’m imploring you to stop worrying, stop over thinking and stop planning. She is INTERSTED in you. But seriously Waves, I know more about your life in the last three months, than I’ve known for a long time, because someone has actually asked you! It hasn’t escaped my notice that you’ve been more open about that side of your life tonight because of her. So please, I am begging you, to not just dismiss what will clearly be on offer the minute I put my coat on, and leave’. Waverly blinked at her friend, but then a sinking feeling bubbled at the pit of her stomach.

‘What about Champ?’ Chrissy knew she had to choose her words carefully. Waverly was essentially a moral compass, and whilst she’d basically forgotten Champ was part of her life tonight, she couldn’t deny that he was still her boyfriend.

‘Waverly, answer me honestly. Do you love him?’ Waverly thought for a second, before shaking her head no.

‘And do you see yourself marrying him and having children with him?’ Again, Waverly shook her head.

‘So what are you doing with him? You said tonight you thought he was with Steph right now, so why on earth are you wasting your time? You know he’s a dick, and you know you deserve better, so stop being so scared and deal with him like the strong, independent woman that you are!’ Waverly thought about all Chrissy had said. She was right, Waverly did deserve better, and she was no longer going to put up with Champs shit. Before she knew it, she was pulling out her phone and firing off a text to Champ that left no room for doubt. They were done. Finished. Over. And the weight that was instantly alleviated from her shoulders when she sent the text was palpable. A sly smile crept onto Waverly’s face as she watched Nicole make her way back to them through the crowd.

‘You really think she’s interested like that?’ Chrissy laughed at her friend and kissed her on the cheek.

‘Why don’t you bite the bullet and find out?’ And with that, Nicole was back, placing a tray of drinks down on the nearby table. The red head turned to the women with a glass of beer for each of them, Waverly took hers gratefully, but Chrissy shook her head

‘Thanks Nicole, but I really have to head off-full day tomorrow. It was really great to meet you, maybe we can all grab dinner in the week?’ Nicole smiled broadly at Chrissy and nodded

‘That sounds great-get home safe okay?’ Chrissy chuckled and promised she would. She turned to Waverly once again and hugged her friend, whispering ‘go get some’ in her ear cheekily as they embraced. Waverly blushed but smiled as Chrissy pulled away, offered one last goodbye and headed for the exit. A comfortable silence landed between the two women. Nicole took a sip of her beer and turned to Waverly

‘Well she seems lovely’. Waverly turned her body towards Nicole so she was now leaning against the pool table looking at her

‘She is, we’ve known each other our whole lives. She gets me you know-in a town that hasn’t always been kind to my family, Chrissy has always been the constant friend-I’m lucky to have her’. Nicole took the words in, then looked Waverly directly in the eye and replied

‘I’ve known you for approximately two hours, and I already know that she’s the lucky one. And for the record, whatever happened in your past, and with the best will in the world, I don’t give a shit about rumour's or past mistakes, or whatever it is, you are, hands down Waverly Earp, one of the most fascinating women I’ve ever had the pleasure of spending time with, and we should all be so lucky to have you on our side’. Waverly looked at Nicole, her heart thumping so hard she was pretty sure Nicole could hear it. And then the most dazzling smile graced Waverly’s face. Nicole returned the smile instantly, once again, flooring Waverly with those damn dimples.

‘Nicole Haught, that might be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me’. Nicole continued to grin and look Waverly in the eye and replied

‘Well I don’t believe in false compliments, but I mean it-and do you know what, if the reaction I get every time I’m truthful about you is a smile like that, well hell, I’ll make it my mission to tell you something truthful daily’. Waverly laughed, and placed a hand on Nicole’s shoulder

‘Jesus Christ you’re charming’ and Nicole laughed heartily

‘You’re only just noticing, damn I’m losing my touch’ and they both laughed once more. The band had struck up again, and it was now well into midnight. People all around them were dancing and singing as the ladies watched in companiable silence whilst they sipped their beers.

Waverly drained her glass, took a deep breath and looked Nicole in the eye

‘You wanna dance?’ she tentatively asked.

‘I thought you’d never ask’ came the reply, and before Waverly knew it, Nicole was taking her hand and leading her to the middle of the dance floor. People had started to become aware of the stranger talking to the town sweetheart, and most of the patrons were delighted to see that not only was Waverly out having a good night, but that she was without Champ and appeared to be enjoying the company of a beautiful woman who was doting on her. Waverly and Nicole danced close to each other, but not close enough to have people notice. Waverly was an excellent dancer, but so was Nicole, and the two women looked to be keeping up with each other, whilst chatting animatedly and laughing through-out the songs. Occasionally the band would start a number that both women were in to, so they would look at each other, raise their arms and cheer at one another to the beat of the music. In short, they were having fun, and it warmed the hearts of the locals that had noticed that their favourite girl was having a blast.

Two people were watching with curiosity over the far end of the bar. Wynonna and Gus had both seen Waverly and Nicole exchange looks through-out the evening, and Wynonna had realised pretty quickly this Nicole Haught was in to her baby sister-that’s why she had interrupted them in the first place, she had clocked Nicole looking at Waverly when she had first entered the bar, but what she had witnessed over the next two hours was a different side to Waverly. A confidence was radiating from her, and the attention she was getting from the newcomer was only spurring her on. Gus placed her hand on Wynonna’s

‘You know, the thing I like most about your baby sister is her confidence in herself. She knows who she is, and she knows who she wants. The only thing that worries her is you.’ Wynonna frowned and questioned

‘Why would she worry about me?’ Gus laughed at the nieces inability to join the dots

‘Because darlin’, you’re her big sister, and she’s your biggest fan. I’ve known that girl all her life, and I’ve never seen her laugh like that before’. As Wynonna turned to follow Gus’s gaze, she saw Waverly bent over double, holding onto Nicole’s arm and laughing hysterically. Nicole, for her part was also laughing, and Waverly was wiping away tears and clutching at her stomach almost to stop it from hurting. Wynonna hadn’t always been around, and god knows she’d been a shitty sister but she also couldn’t ever remember Waverly looking so happy. She watched as the youngest Earp wiped tears from her eyes and then enthusiastically turned to her companion and raised her arms with joy as the band started on another song. Wynonna turned to Gus and said

‘And we’re okay with this woman?’

Gus scoffed and said ‘what do you think? Sweetheart, I couldn’t give a rats ass who she’s with, as long as she keeps laughing like that’.

Wynonna nodded her approval ‘Good. I was just making sure, small town and all that… Personally, I don’t give a shit, but you know, I gotta make sure she’s protected’.

‘Oh honey’, Gus responded ‘I gotta feelin’ that your baby sister is gonna have all the protection she needs from the young deputy’.

Wynonna furrowed her brow. ‘Who?’

‘Nicole dumbass! She’s Nedley’s new deputy-told me herself’

‘Well shit… does Waverly know?’

‘I don’t think she rightly cares if she does’. And with that, the two women turned their attention back to the dancefloor and where Nicole and Waverly were still chattering away and dancing to the ever increasing loud band.

 

Nicole’s plan had gone better than expected. She had thought as far as getting to the bar and finding a way to introduce herself-but she never thought she would be so lucky as to spend the majority of the evening with this enigmatic woman. Admittedly, the part of the spilt beer hadn’t been ideal, but she’d quickly rinsed what she could out of her top and dried it under the hand dryer in the ladies so as not to stink too much of stale beer all night. Nicole soon realised Waverly was exquisite. She was interesting, and funny, and kind, and generous, and open, and god, she was breathtaking to look at, which Nicole obviously appreciated, but her attraction to Waverly went far beyond physical. Her intelligence exceeded anyone Nicole had met before-possibly combined. She was fascinating, which only drew Nicole in further. The introduction to her friend and sister (who was a different entity entirely, but an entity Nicole wanted to get to know) made the evening that little less awkward.

As the evening progressed, she soon found herself and Waverly just chatting to each other about all manner of topics ranging from her uni course to the history of the Earp heritage. She had mentioned she and Wynonna were a direct descendent of Wyatt Earp (WHAAAAAT?!) and that her main thesis was based around him, but she left it at that in terms of details. Nicole made a note to come back to that discussion as she was intrigued to hear more.

Wynonna had eventually sloped off to pester the bar woman-who Nicole had discovered was the proprietor of Shorty’s and also the Earp girls Aunt. She had spoken to her a bit when first ordering her drink, and she seemed affable enough, although there was an edge to her that clearly warned people not to cross an invisible line.

Chrissy Nedley, who Nicole had assumed was her bosses daughter had made her excuses and gone home. Nicole wasn’t sure what had happened between the two friends whilst she was at the bar, but when she returned with the drinks, she was pretty sure she caught a wink from Chrissy before she left. Waverly had then decided the dancefloor was calling them, and whilst the band had finished a while ago, someone had taken over the jukebox, and people were still crowded in the space dancing with as much fervour as they had with the live musicians.

Nicole and Waverly had continued to dance and chat for the rest of the night, but it was starting to wind down. The bar was becoming emptier and the threat of the lights being switched on was enough to get people moving towards the exit. Nicole looked down at a laughing Waverly and smiled. She didn’t want this night to end, but short of inviting her back to her place, there wasn’t really any other option.

‘I’m just going to head to the bathroom’ Nicole said, leaning down to Waverly so she could hear her over the noise of the jukebox.

‘Mind if I come with you?’ Waverly said as they started to make their way to the side of the bar.

Mercifully, there was no queue, and the two women were able to get in to the separate cubicles at the same time. As they both washed their hands at the sink, Waverly looked at Nicole through the mirror. The woman’s bobbed red hair was flicking out in waves, and it hung into her eyes as she looked at her hands and rinsed them with soap. Waverly handed them paper towels and continued to look at Nicole through the mirror. Nicole caught her eye and smiled. Waverly lent on the basin and said

‘So… you going to kiss me or do I have to make the first move?’

Nicole looked momentarily startled, but reigned in her composure and replied

‘I’m thinking about it’. With that, she put her right hand on Waverly’s cheek and brought their lips together. The kiss was impossibly soft, and as their lips started to move against each other’s, Waverly released a sigh. Nicole stepped closer to the smaller woman who was now leaning her back against the sink, bringing their hips flush. She pulled away and looked into Waverly’s eyes.

‘I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you coming in here at the beginning of the night’ Nicole admitted. Waverly smiled and leant in for another kiss. They were broken apart by the door to the bathroom flying open and Wynonna bounding in shouting Waverly’s name. She caught the end of the embrace and stopped still looking at the two women.

‘Oh shit, sorry, I didn’t realise you were… erm… well doing… this’. Waverly was flustered, but managed to keep her voice steady as she said

‘What do you want Nonna?’ Wynonna knew her sister well enough to know she was trying to hide her embarrassment.

‘I’m heading out. Doc, Rosita and the guys are planning a fire pit I’m going to tag along too.’

‘Doc? Who’re Doc and Rosita?’ Waverly asked

‘The singers of the band!’ Wynonna replied exasperated. ‘Gus said you can crash here if you need, but hurry up, she’s about ready to close… But then again I can see you’ve got other ideas...’

‘Get OUT Wynonna’ Waverly said as she bundled her sister out of the door. She turned back round to Nicole and caught the smile that was forming on her perfect face. Waverly walked towards her and put her hands around the back of Nicole’s neck, playing the baby hairs there. As Nicole bent down to kiss Waverly once more, the door again swung open to reveal Gus standing with her hands on her hips

‘Waverly Earp get your butt out of this bathroom and decide where you’re stayin’ tonight-I gotta lock up and get to bed’. The door closed, leaving the two women looking at each other.

‘My place?’ Nicole asked, somewhat sheepishly

‘Your place’ Waverly responded. And with that, Nicole took her hand, interlaced their fingers and headed back into the bar, grabbing their coats from the booth at the back and walking out into the cold night air. It was past two am, and the street was now deserted, the last of the patrons having made their way back to their beds. Waverly shivered at the cold air and Nicole pulled her into her side to keep her warm. Waverly looped her arm round Nicole’s waist resting her hand upon the belt loops of Nicole’s jeans as she was led towards Nicole’s house. They made their way up the porch steps and as Nicole unlocked the door, Waverly leant on her back. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Nicole swung round and pulled Waverly in for a kiss. Their lips found each other, sending a jolt through both of their bodies. Nicole was aware how quickly things were progressing as Waverly snaked her hand up Nicole’s top and lightly stroked her back. Nicole moaned into the kiss as it deepened further and became more desperate. She pulled away slightly, eliciting a whimper from Waverly.

‘Hey, I am really, REALLY enjoying where this is going, but I don’t want you to do anything you’re not ready for okay?’ Waverly took Nicole’s face in both her hands and kissed her gently.

‘Nicole, I appreciate your concern, I really do-and if you’re not ready, that is absolutely fine, but for me, personally, I feel a bit like if you don’t touch me soon, I’m going to combust’. Nicole let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and smiled

‘Well when you put it that way…’ and she placed her hands round the backs of Waverly’s thighs, and lifted her effortlessly up off the floor. Waverly instinctively wrapped her legs around Nicole’s waist and linked her ankles together. Nicole started to walk them to the bedroom as Waverly ghosted her lips along Nicole’s jawline. As Nicole walked her up the stairs, she stopped momentarily half way up and pushed Waverly against the wall-this was partly to get a better grip, and partly because Nicole desperately wanted to kiss her again. The kiss was instantly intense and elicited moans from both the women. Nicole pushed off the wall once more and continued toward the bedroom. When she finally got them both inside and to the bed, she gently laid Waverly down upon her comforter.

Unbeknownst to Nicole, however, her cat, Calamity Jane was fast asleep on top of the bed. Nicole couldn’t tell who jumped higher- her, Waverly, or the rather livid ginger cat that had come a cropper underneath Waverly’s weight. The cat stalked away with a sort of angry strut and the two women paused and looked at each other for a moment before descending into hysterics.

‘I better go and see if she’s okay’ Nicole said whilst wiping away a tear. ‘You’re not allergic or anything are you?!’ Waverly shook her head and Nicole leant down and gave her another searing kiss. ‘Thank god for that’ she whispered before getting up and heading off to find her furious cat. 

Waverly listened to Nicole downstairs as she found her cat and started cooing over her. She lay on Nicole’s bed taking in her surroundings. The room was a decent size, but there were boxes scattered everywhere with various labels on them. Three were marked clothes and there were several items hanging out of the boxes like they had been recently searched through. Waverly felt comfortable. She had obviously stayed at people’s houses before, but right here, amongst the boxes and the chaos that was Nicole Haughts new life, Waverly felt like she belonged. It was a disconcerting feeling, as she barely knew the woman downstairs-and that’s what scared her about this whole situation. Usually Waverly was a planner to the end, and would feel out of sorts if something happened she hadn’t bargained for. But yet here she was, in a virtual stranger’s house, surrounded by clutter, listening to a voice downstairs soothing a cat’s ego, and she felt… good. More than good, she felt great. She felt like she wanted to be here more, around this woman who had literally taken her breath away-and yet she had known her for all of five hours. She was brought back from her thoughts by a kiss to her abdomen. Her crop top had ridden up and was exposing her stomach, so when Nicole had quietly re-entered the room, and caught a glimpse of Waverly lying on her bed lost in a daydream, Nicole couldn’t resist creeping up and planting a kiss on those perfect abs. Waverly jumped and laughed at the same time, whilst running her hands through Nicole’s hair. Nicole climbed her way up Waverly’s body kissing sporadically as she went. She reached Waverly’s collarbone and gently ghosted her lips along it, eliciting a moan from the shorter woman beneath her.

‘Hey’ Nicole whispered, whilst placing a chaste kiss on Waverly’s lips

‘Hey’ Waverly smiled back, her hands once again finding their home at the nape of the red heads neck. Nicole leant in again, kissing Waverly once more, who welcomed her lips greedily, their mouths once again finding a rhythm. Waverly slid her hands underneath Nicole’s top, and in one fluid movement had it over Nicole’s head, barely breaking their kiss as it went. Nicole in turn made light work of Waverly’s crop top, and slowly made her way first down Waverly’s neck, and then her chest, finally stopping at her breasts. Nicole looked up at Waverly, a kind of silent checking in that Waverly was okay with what was about to happen-as soon as Waverly smiled at her and bit her lower lip, Nicole knew that she was granted consent, and ran her hand round the smaller woman’s back and nimbly undid her bra. Nicole took a nipple into her mouth and ran her tongue along the already erect bud, teasing it with her teeth, whilst stroking the other one with her thumb. Waverly hitched her body towards Nicole and pulled her head further into her breasts. Nicole then delicately moved to the other breast, repeating the soft flicking of it with her tongue. She continued to play with the nipples whilst she worked her way down to the top of Waverly’s jeans. She undid the two buttons, and Waverly raised her hips off the bed so Nicole could pull them down and off completely-discarding both the jeans and Waverly’s underwear onto the floor. Nicole looked Waverly directly in the eye and slowly took off her own bra and jeans. Looking at Nicole standing naked, bathed in moonlight, Waverly realised that Nicole Haught was going to be the death of her.

‘God, you’re beautiful’ Nicole breathed out as she took in the woman lying on her bed. Waverly sat up on the end of the bed, and pulled Nicole by her hips in between her legs. She ran a hand up Nicole’s torso and started to nip and kiss Nicole’s stomach. Waverly then once again pulled Nicole into her, directing her to straddle Waverly’s hips. Waverly continued to stroke Nicole’s back and with the tips of her fingers, occasionally drawing her nails down Nicole’s shoulder blades. Waverly deftly moved her right hand between them, and whilst looking Nicole in the eyes, she started to very slowly guide her hand down to Nicole’s dripping centre. With delicate fingers, Waverly started to rub circles slowly over Nicole’s swollen clit. Nicole leaned her head back slightly, exposing her neck for Waverly to nip at. Nicole’s hips followed the rhythm Waverly set, and she was soon feeling the build of her orgasm. Waverly was listening to the change in Nicole’s breathing for signs of how close she was becoming, and before she brought Nicole to the edge completely, she shifted her hand, so her palm was against Nicole’s clit and the fingers were teasing Nicole’s entrance. Waverly slid her fingers across Nicole’s dripping folds, moaning when feeling how wet Nicole was for her. Nicole pushed Waverly down so she was lying flat on the bed, and as she leant down to kiss Waverly once more, she started to ride Waverly’s hand with a new found energy. As she became closer and closer to orgasm, Waverly started to take Nicole’s nipple into her mouth and nip it with her teeth. Nicole felt her build rising, and found herself whispering into Waverly’s ear

‘Fuck…. Baby… I’m so close’, to which Waverly quickened her pace of her hand and Nicole followed suit thrusting harder. Nicole couldn’t hold on any longer as Waverly curled her fingers deep inside Nicole and found her G spot in time to take her over the edge. Nicole tightened around her fingers and then suddenly came hard and fast, covering Waverly’s hand in her orgasm. Waverly kept her hand still as Nicole slowly rocked back and forth, breath ragged and sweat glistening on her brow. They lay there still for a moment, Waverly gently kissing Nicole’s shoulders and stroking her back delicately. Eventually Nicole looked up and kissed Waverly gently on the lips, as Waverly pulled her fingers out-both women moaning as she did so.

‘Fuck me…. That was… Fuck’ Nicole breathed into Waverly’s ear, as she slowly started to move off Waverly and lay on her side. Waverly smiled-she had only been with one woman before, and it had been so long ago, she wasn’t as confident as she had first appeared, but being here now, she felt instinctively what she wanted to do to Nicole and with Nicole.

Nicole started to kiss Waverly’s bare shoulders, whilst scooting them both up to the centre of the bed. She moved back to Waverly’s neck and whispered

'What do you want baby?’ Waverly ran her nails down Nicole’s back and replied ‘What do you want to do to me?’

‘I really, really want to taste you’ came the response, and Waverly instinctively raised her hips towards Nicole’s body, which was once again working its way down Waverly’s torso. Nicole snaked her tongue along Waverly’s abs, and took a bite at the skin on Waverly’s hip. She lavished it with kisses and bit and sucked there, leaving a purple mark forming as she moved down to Waverly’s centre. She kissed the inside of Waverly’s thighs slowly, and then slid her fingers through Waverly’s wet folds, to see how much Waverly wanted her. Nicole then kissed Waverly’s clit delicately. Waverly shuddered at the sensation-she had never had anyone do that to her before. Champ had never really bothered with oral sex (for her) and when he had, it hadn’t really done much for her-but at this moment, she felt like she might see stars. She had never had anyone pay her so much attention, and she was pretty certain she could get quite used to Nicole Haught.

Nicole swept her tongue from Waverly’s opening up to her clit, flattening her tongue out for maximum effect. She repeated this again and again, becoming quicker with her movements, but still taking in Waverly’s full sex. She tasted beautiful. Nicole wanted to spend hours down there, just tasting and teasing, but she could tell Waverly was going to get frustrated if she didn’t get a release soon. Nicole therefore started to circle Waverly’s clit with her tongue. The swollen bud was ready for the attention Nicole was lavishing on it, and Waverly soon started to move her hips in a rhythm that suited them both. Nicole then slid a finger into Waverly.

‘Jesus Nicole… that feels… FUCK…’ Waverly gasped as Nicole added a second finger and twisted them like a corkscrew. Waverly would have been embarrassed at how quickly she was ready to orgasm, but the build-up she’d had with Nicole riding her hand and now with her fucking her and flicking her clit felt incredible and Waverly had been teetering on the edge since before Nicole had touched her

‘Oh god Nicole that’s it… Jesus… oh fuck yeah that’s it…’ Waverly coached as Nicole continued lapping and fucking her. Waverly tightened around her fingers and screamed as she was brought to orgasm. Nicole continued fucking her long after her body released, and Waverly was soon climbing towards another earth shattering orgasm. Nicole was relentless, and Waverly felt like she might pass out as she came again against Nicole’s tongue. Their bodies slowed and Nicole was soon kissing Waverly’s clit softly and removing her fingers. Waverly whimpered at the loss of them, but then felt more delicate kisses over her sex, and sighed with contentment. Nicole kissed her way back up Waverly’s torso and neck, and Waverly took Nicole’s face in her hands and led her to her lips and into a soft and slow kiss. They both rocked against each other slightly as the kiss deepened. Nicole then rolled off Waverly and pulling the smaller girl into her side, positioned them onto the bed properly. She pulled the comforter up over their exposed skin, and kissed the top of Waverly’s head whilst the smaller woman rested her head on Nicole’s chest.

‘Jesus… that was…’

‘Yeah..’ Nicole replied, smiling as she placed another kiss on the top of the brunettes head.

‘Fuck…’ Waverly sighed. She curled around the taller woman and flung a leg over her so they were wrapped up in each other. Nicole drifted off to sleep first, and as Waverly listened to the red heads breathing grow steadier, she soon matched the rhythm and drifted off feeling happier than she had in a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

The sound of Waverly’s phone woke the two women from their slumber. Waverly was pretty sure it was Wynonna checking in, so groaned audibly as she untangled herself from Nicole’s embrace and slid from the bed towards her trousers in the corner of the room. Picking up her phone, she saw it was, indeed Wynonna, and she answered the phone with a little more impatience that was perhaps necessary.

‘Wynonna, it’s early’

‘Baby girl its midday-that’s early for me, but late for you… where are you?’ her sister responded-knowing full well where Waverly was

‘I’m busy, what do you want?’ the younger woman replied, not getting into the game Wynonna was trying to play

‘Oh I’m sure you are… look, not to burst the hot lesbian bubble you’ve got going on, but you might wanna check your messages. Champ is looking for you…’

‘What do I care if he is?’ At this, Nicole started to pay slightly more attention. Nicole wasn’t stupid, she would have been surprised if there wasn’t some guy sniffing around Waverly-but she was curious as to what was being said on the other end of the phone.

‘Well rumour has it Stephanie Jones was helping him pick out a ring for you-that’s why she answered his phone-but you hung up before she had a chance to explain’

‘What? You mean Champ was planning to…. Wait… WHAT?’ was all Waverly could reply with.

Shit.

Waverly then became acutely aware of the woman in the bed behind her.

‘Want me to come get you?’

‘Yeah, that would be great. Shit Wynonna.’

‘I know’ Wynonna replied ‘Text me the address and I’ll be there in thirty or so. He’s already been here twice this morning baby girl’.

FUCK.

‘Shit. Okay, thanks Nonna, I’ll text you now’. And with that Waverly hung up. She stood for a moment looking at her phone and reading the various messages she had from Champ and Wynonna. Nicole sat still watching Waverly’s back, trying to pick out any hint of how she was feeling

‘Good morning’ Nicole eventually opted for. ‘You okay?’ Waverly spun round, suddenly aware of being very naked.

‘Hey’ she blushed as she crept towards the bed. Nicole sensed her embarrassment, and so got out of the bed and walked towards her, pulling her in for a deep kiss.

‘You know, I would have assumed if I was waking up in an empty bed, it would mean you were making me coffee…’ Nicole stated with a smile on her lips. ‘God those lips’ Waverly thought whilst smiling up at her.

‘Sorry, had to take a call…’

‘So I saw… Coffee?’ Nicole asked instead. She figured whatever was going on, Waverly would tell her if she wanted her to know. Waverly shifted from foot to foot and looked down.

‘I actually gotta deal with some stuff at home…’ Waverly trailed off. She really, really didn’t want to go, but Wynonna had spooked her and she needed to go and deal with this mess she’d created before it got too out of hand. She knew she didn’t want to be with Champ anymore-but she also didn’t want to hurt him unnecessarily.

‘Ah… okay… Well I shall leave you to get dressed’ and she reached for her kimono behind the door and pulled it on, before opening the door and heading downstairs. Waverly stood blinking. She didn’t want Nicole to think she wasn’t interested, but her head was spinning. She didn’t want to burden Nicole with her problems, she needed to sort this out without dragging Nicole into it. She headed into the bathroom to wash up and try to make herself look like she hadn’t been fucking all night. The smell of coffee hit her nostrils as she made her way downstairs. Nicole was leaning against a kitchen counter, reading the local paper when Waverly appeared. Waverly stopped in her tracks as she saw Nicole had a pair of dark framed glasses on. ‘Jesus fucking Christ she wears glasses’ Waverly thought to herself. Nicole looked up and smiled. She was still friendly, but there was an obvious change in atmosphere that Waverly knew she was wholly responsible for.

‘So listen…’ Waverly started as she was pulling on her boots and collecting her coat from where it had been discarded on the floor. ‘For the sake of transparency, at the beginning of last night, I kind of had a boyfriend’.

‘I see’ Nicole replied. If she was taken aback or annoyed, she didn’t show it, so Waverly carried on ‘and I told him last night I didn’t want to be with him, but it appears he didn’t get the message as apparently he’s currently running around town trying to find me so he can… so he can… propose’.

‘Propose?’ Nicole said slowly. ‘Okay… and how are you feeling about the idea of him proposing?’

‘Oh god, AWFUL’ Waverly quickly responded. ‘I mean, it’s been over for a while, but last night with you was… well it was… god I don’t even have words for it’ Waverly stated, not looking Nicole in the eye as she fumbled for the door handle. ‘And I just need to sort this out as I thought he was cheating on me last night, but it turns out he wasn’t, he was buying me an engagement ring, so I’m kind of in a pickle right now, and god, you’re amazing, and I don’t want to pull you into this… and it’s all just such a…’ Waverly was broken off by Nicole striding towards her and kissing her passionately.

‘It’s such a mess Nicole…’ Waverly had still been trying to open the door whilst she rambled on, not realising it was locked at the top by a bolt. Nicole pulled away from Waverly’s lips, and reached up to slide the bolt along so the door could open.

‘Waverly…’

‘I’m sorry, I just thought I should tell you because…’

‘Waverly…’

‘Well you’re just SO…’

‘Waverly’

‘Yes’

‘It’s okay’

‘It is?’

‘Of course… look, go and sort out whatever it is you need to sort out, and then, come back to me, because I promise you Waverly Earp, you will never find anyone better than me’ and Nicole winked. She fucking winked. And Waverly felt a heat head straight between her legs. Nicole wasn’t saying Waverly wouldn’t find anyone better because she wasn’t worthy. She was saying to Waverly she is the greatest there is. And the arrogance that took was beyond comprehension-and was the sexiest damn thing anyone had ever said to her. She smiled, and placed a kiss on Nicole’s lips.

‘Oh I don’t doubt you for a moment’. She said breathlessly. Waverly then turned to go, but Nicole slipped an arm around Waverly’s waist and pulled her back into her, breathing into Waverly’s ear, Nicole whispered

‘Have dinner with me’ and then she slipped her hand up onto Waverly’s stomach and started to make gentle circle patterns on her skin. Waverly let out a shaky breath as she lifted her right hand up to take the back of Nicole’s head and pull it down onto her neck. Nicole’s fingers teased open the front of Waverly’s jeans and she slipped her hand down into her underwear. Both women gasped as Nicole felt how wet Waverly was for her. Nicole slowly put her free hand against the doorframe the other side of Waverly’s head. Waverly started to grind her body back against Nicole’s front, and she could soon feel Nicole pick up the pace with her fingers whilst simultaneously kissing and nipping at Waverly’s neck. As Waverly’s body reacted to Nicole’s touch, Nicole whispered into the smaller woman’s ear how good Waverly feels and how turned on she makes the taller woman

Waverly felt her body start to build to orgasm, she was unbelievably turned on by Nicole whispering in her ear, and it wasn’t too long before Waverly was coming against Nicole’s hand. Her body shook against the red head’s torso and she felt like she might lose her legs from underneath her. Nicole continued to kiss her neck and nibble her ear lobe-making sure to whisper into Waverly’s ear ‘That’s it baby, I’ve got you’. They stood there for a moment catching their breaths, leaning against each other before Waverly turned round in Nicole’s arms. She leant up and kissed Nicole softly

‘I’d love to have dinner with you tonight’

‘I’m delighted to hear it’ Nicole replied with a smile, inches away from Waverly’s face.

‘I really REALLY have to go’ and with that a horn honked outside. Nicole frowned slightly, unsure who was outside when there was the sound of boots climbing up the porch steps and a loud knock on the door

‘Baby girl, get your ass out here, I’m freezing my nuts off’. Waverly rolled her eyes and kissed Nicole briefly on the lips whilst doing up her jeans, before opening the front door

‘I’m here, I’m here, Jesus, you don’t have to be so loud!’

‘Delicate head this morning sis?’ Wynonna smirked, before Nicole appeared behind Waverly in a kimono and clearly nothing else.

'Well good morning to you officer’ Wynonna chimed. Nicole smiled at Wynonna and replied

‘Good morning to you too Ms Earp. How was the fire pit?’

‘It was as you’d expect, dare I ask how your night was?’

‘It was pretty good thanks...’ Nicole smiled as she winked at Waverly

‘Only pretty good? Baby girl, you’re losing your touch’

‘Oh she’s really not, but I assumed you don’t want me to tell you how fucking epic your little sister is in the sack?’

‘Nope, no, no, no, not hearing it’ Wynonna responded whilst walking back to her truck. She turned back to see Nicole grab Waverly by the hand and whisper something in her ear. Waverly’s face lit up, and she looked around briefly before kissing Nicole goodbye. Wynonna climbed into the truck then beeped her horn. Waverly spun round and shouted something incoherent, before turning back to Nicole and kissing her briefly again. As she started to walk away from Nicole, the women remained holding hands until Waverly was too far away to reach any more. She then turned on her heel and marched to the passenger side of the truck. Once she climbed inside, Wynonna stuck the truck into reverse and swung out onto the road-Waverly offering a small wave before they disappeared down the road. Nicole waved them off, and then went back into her house, closing the door behind her. She leant against the door that she had moments early taken Waverly against. Oh boy, was she in trouble…

 

Wynonna lasted approximately thirty seconds before she started to interrogate Waverly on her evening’s activities.

‘So tell me… how are you feeling?’

‘Oh well, you know… do you know what, you don’t really want to know do you?’ Waverly said, convinced her sister wasn’t at all interested in how she was feeling. Wynonna was hurt that Waverly thought she didn’t care. She did care-more than anything, but feelings and emotions were hard for Wynonna to process, so she often came across as flippant as supposed to interested. Wynonna was desperate to be there for Waverly, and so swallowed down her awkwardness and persevered.

‘Come on baby girl, of course I’m interested. For what it’s worth, I like the new officer’

‘Yeah, what’s with the officer thing?’

‘You mean you don’t know? Jesus, did you two talk at all last night?’ Wynonna enquired. ‘She’s Nedleys new deputy’. Waverly was momentarily taken aback. How had she not known that? How the hell did Wynonna know? And oh my God, does that mean Nicole had to wear a UNIFORM?!!

‘Well there was talking… just not… that kind…’

‘Okay okay, I get it’ Wynonna chimed in-but smiled as she did so. ‘So you had a good night?’ Wynonna looked at her little sister out of the corner of her eye and watched her smile broaden

‘Wynonna… I have THE BEST night. You know what, with Champ, I thought it was okay, not earth shattering, but it was fine. But even if I wanted to go back to him, which I really, really don’t, I don’t think I could anyway. Just to be with someone where you’re the priority, you know? I mean, I’ve NEVER felt like that before-even when I slept with Beth, it wasn’t like that’

‘Err… Beth?’

‘Hmm? Oh, Beth Gardner. We had a thing. Well it wasn’t really a thing-it was a couple of weeks of discovery. But then I discovered what I needed to, and moved on. It was nothing really-it was senior year. God, do you know, I don’t think I’ve told anyone that’. And in that moment, Wynonna finally felt like the big sister. She felt like she and Waverly had finally cracked whatever this awkwardness was, and they’d been honest with each other. Wynonna felt a lump develop at the back of her throat, but quashed it down with a sip of coffee sitting in the cup holder. Waverly, seemingly oblivious to this momentous occasion, carried on sharing.

‘And you know, Champ was, well is, fine-but Fuck… Nicole is…. Nicole is just….’ And she trailed off, unable to find the words. Wynonna listened and smiled-whatever Nicole Haught was, was alright by Wynonna

‘Yep, sleeping with a woman will do that to you. I’ve had a couple of great nights and when it works, it REALLY works’ Wynonna offered up. Waverly turned in her seat and looked at her sister intently.

‘You’ve slept with a woman?’

‘Three women. I’ve slept with three women. And it was great, but just not a permanent thing for me-I love me some penis-but I can definitely see the appeal’. Waverly wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but this total acceptance from her sister was all she needed to hear. She leant over to Wynonna and kissed her cheek.

‘I love you Nonna’ she said simply.

‘Yeah yeah’ Wynonna shrugged off-her heart soaring in her chest as she nonchalantly waved her sister away. Waverly smiled, not fooled for a moment. As they arrived at the homestead, Waverly recognised Champs truck parked up outside one of the barns closest to the house.

‘Oh shit’ Waverly whispered as the truck came to a stop. Champ was sitting inside the cab of his pickup, wearing a shirt and holding a bunch of flowers. Waverly felt her heart sink. She should have finished it with Champ months ago, but fear of being alone made her stick it out-and now she was standing outside her home, smelling like someone else and about to break his heart.

‘Champ…’

‘Hey, look, I know I fucked up, but I swear Waverly I was drunk, and stupid, and it made me realise I don’t want to be with anyone else okay? I know I should have known that already, but what can I say-I’m sorry babe. It won’t happen again…’

‘Champ’

‘And look, I mean it this time… so Waverly Earp… Will you marry me?’ Champ had got down on one knee and was holding a ring box with a cheap looking ring in it.

‘What do you mean you fucked up?’ Waverly asked. Wynonna had made a show of going inside, but, mercilessly had left the door open so she could be on hand if she needed to be

‘With Stephanie. I know I shouldn’t have gone with her, but I swear babe it was one time, and it won’t happen again’. Waverly stood stock still and looked at Champ on his knee.

‘So let me get this straight… you fucked Stephanie Jones, realised your mistake and now you’re PROPOSING to try and make it better?’ Champs face fell as he realised this was not the way he thought this was going to go

‘Babe… Come on….don’t be cross’ he spluttered, getting to his feet

‘You need to leave Champ. Like right now’

‘Waverly, you don’t mean this… you know you’ll forgive me eventually, so let’s save the hassle and cut to you getting over it’. Waverly started to walk towards the porch

‘Go home Champ’ she threw over her shoulder ‘We’re done’

‘Waverly, come on… you know no-one else is going to touch you-you’re damaged goods’ and before Waverly could reply, the porch door flew open, revealing Wynonna standing with a baseball bat in her hand

‘What did you just say Chump?’ Champ stood still on the spot and looked between Wynonna and Waverly

‘Waverly, tell her to put the bat down!’ But it was no use, Wynonna had started moving towards Champ as Waverly started for the house. As they crossed each other, Waverly threw a wink at Wynonna and marched towards the man now retreating to his truck

‘I’m gonna give you eight seconds to get into your truck before me and my bat here get busy with your bonnet’

‘You wouldn’t dare you crazy bitch’

‘One…Two…. Three…. Four… ‘

‘Alright, alright I’m going… Fuck you Earp, and fuck her too-good luck trying to find someone to take you on’. And with that, Champ jumped in his car and sped off down the drive way.

‘You okay baby girl?’

‘Yeah… I mean, he’s a dick…. But yeah… I’m okay. Are you okay?’

‘Me?! It’ll take a lot more than Champ Hardy to get to this crazy bitch’ Wynonna retorted. But there was a hint of sadness in her face. This town had been unrelenting and unforgiving when it came to Wynonna, and whilst they had taken Waverly into their hearts, people were a long way off from treating Wynonna with the same kindness.

‘How about I get showered and we head to the diner for brunch’

‘That sounds like an excellent plan, I’ll wait here for you-don’t be too long, now you’ve said it, I need pancakes STAT’ Wynonna grinned, and threw herself down on the couch, grabbing the TV remote and flicking idly through the hundreds of channels available to them.

Waverly smiled and made her way upstairs. She desperately needed a shower and a change of clothes, and she hadn’t realised how hungry she was until she mentioned food. Something the Earp girls had in common was the minute food was on offer, they were suddenly ravenous.

Waverly stood underneath the hot water and allowed it to run over her. As she washed her hair, she thought about the night before, and how Nicole had felt riding her hand. She was lost in the memory of them as she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair and started to wash her body with her floral soap. She noticed the marks across her hips and stomach and smiled to herself-something about being marked by Nicole was incredibly sexy. She had always hated it when Champ had tried to give her hickeys-usually because it was on her neck and she hated the way it looked to customers and at university-she always felt like his markings were one of territory, whereas Nicole’s were one of passion. She felt an urge to text Nicole and let her know she was thinking about her, but realised they hadn’t exchanged numbers. She got out of the shower and dried herself with her towel, and absentmindedly walked into her room to grab some clothes and to braid her hair to her right side. She selected a black skirt and white shirt to wear as well as some black boots and a gold necklace. The top needed to be tucked in, so there was no way for her top to inadvertently ride up and reveal the tell-tale signs of her night of passion. She checked her phone (which had been charging whilst she showered) and saw she had a message from Chrissy and an unknown number. She opened up her phone and checked Chrissy’s message first

Chrissy: Well… How was it?????

Waverly: Unbelievable!! Also… Champ proposed!

Chrissy: WHAT?!! Okay, I need details on ALL OF THIS

Waverly: Nonna and I are heading to the diner in 20-wanna join?

Chrissy: Have food then I’ll join-I want to hear EVERYTHING. See you in about an hour?

Waverly: Xxx

Waverly smiled to herself and opened the second message

Number: So… dinner tonight? About 8pm? 

Waverly smiled and added Nicole’s number to her contacts

Waverly: I was just thinking about you… How did you get my number?

Nicole: Good or bad? And I text Nedley

Waverly: Ah I see! Good or bad?? What do you think…

Nicole: Well, I know what I think-but I’ve been wrong before…

Waverly: I doubt that… Very good things…

Nicole: Good to know…

Waverly: Shall I bring wine? What colour?

Nicole: I’m making pasta, so some red would be great!

Waverly: Yes Ma’am…

Nicole: If you start calling me that, I may never want you to stop…

Waverly: Noted… See you tonight-can’t wait xx

Nicole: Me neither xx

Waverly was smiling to herself as she made her way downstairs to Wynonna, who was idly lying on the sofa watching an episode of The Flintstones.

‘Ready to go?’ Waverly questioned whilst putting her coat on and grabbing her car keys. Wynonna rolled off the couch and switched of the TV. They made their way out to Waverly’s little red jeep, chatting idly about the band Wynonna hung out with. Waverly could tell her older sister had enjoyed the company of the older singer. He looked a bit like a cowboy with his Stetson hat and bushy moustache. The history of the Earp family was infamous in their little town, so Wynonna often found herself in the company of strangers-it was easier than constantly being judged by townsfolk who had no interest in broadening their horizons.

They pulled into the parking lot of the diner and made their way inside. Luckily, the lunch time rush was Monday-Friday, so they had no trouble commandeering a booth and getting served. They ordered their food and whilst waiting for their drinks (Waverly was a mint tea kind of girl-wynonna was straight up strong coffee). They chatted aimlessly about Wynonna’s work. She and her business partner were bounty hunters working out of the local station. Nedley was a good man, and knew the best way to keep Wynonna out of trouble, was to give her trouble to fix. Wynonna was actually pretty good at her job, and as they were the only team in the local area, they found themselves pretty busy most days. Drunks were stupid-and there were a fair few drunks in this area. Waverly would occasionally go with them if they needed an extra pair of hands, or someone to watch the front whilst they went round the back. It was easy work and it paid well. They chatted away for a good hour before Chrissy joined them for a drink. Wynonna had also invited her business partner, Dolls to join them, so the four found themselves whiling away an afternoon drinking coffee and catching up. Dolls was a stoic sort of man. He was a man of few words and even less facial expressions, but he was the loyalist man you could ever wish to meet, and on more than one occasion the Earp’s had been pleased to have him on their side. He was also in love with Wynonna. And whilst the eldest Earp feigned ignorance to this, it was pretty obvious to anyone who spent any time with them, that he would move heaven and earth for Wynonna Earp. And he was also patient enough to wait until she was ready to acknowledge what was going on between them. He was ex-military, and that was as much as anyone knew about him. The afternoon soon started to get darker, and the group were ready to disperse.

‘Hey, what are you up to tonight? Fancy coming over for a movie?’ Chrissy enquired once they were out of the diner and walking to the parking lot

‘Oh, I can’t… I’m actually going to go over to Nicole’s for dinner. She asked me this morning’ Waverly couldn’t help the blush that creeped up as she thought about what happened immediately after she’d asked.

‘Oh are you now’ Wynonna chirped in, all three of them turning to look at Waverly.

‘Yes, yes I am’ she replied indignantly.

‘So you like her then?’ Chrissy asked. Wynonna and Dolls were also curious. Dolls, who had not been there last night, nor indeed privy to any information before this conversation, seemed to already know the answer.

‘Yeah I do. I mean, she’s funny, smart, beautiful and she’s… well she’s great...’ Waverly trailed off, once again blushing.

‘What you mean to say is she’s hot as hell and dynamite in bed amirite?’ Wynonna offered. Waverly rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the smile that took over what seemed to be her entire face.

‘Not just in the bed’ Waverly replied, punching Wynonna on the shoulder good naturedly. Waverly meant what she said, she was getting a great feeling about Nicole-but something inside her was doubting it. Like it was almost too good to be true. They all said their goodbyes. Dolls and Wynonna were heading off to pick up a lead on a bail skipper apparently hanging out in a biker bar on the outskirts of town, leaving Chrissy and Waverly outside their respective vehicles.

‘So seriously, how was it? And what the hell happened with Champ?’

‘Oh god, it’s such a nonsense...’ and Waverly then filled Chrissy in on everything that had happened that morning (leaving out the part about the orgasm whilst standing at Nicole’s front door). Chrissy had laughed. A full belly laugh at this. And as Waverly started to protest, she too started to giggle, and before they knew it, both women were laughing uncontrollably and clinging onto each other’s arms to try and keep each other up. After eventually saying their goodbyes,

Waverly drove back to the homestead and decided to re-read a paper she had written that was due next week. It felt odd to Waverly that she was one term away from graduating from her Masters, she had worked so hard and was proud that she had persevered. The work had been tireless and trying to finish it whilst holding down a near full time bar job hadn’t been easy-but it was worth it. She grabbed her essay and headed to the couch-planning to settle in for a read before heading to Nicole’s later for dinner.

 

It was all very well and good inviting Waverly round for dinner, but Nicole didn’t actually have anything other than a coffee cup, and coffee pot and some bedding unpacked. She had some more coffee and a couple of slices of toast, then, as with all things, Nicole made a plan in her head whilst in the shower. She went through room by room, deciding what needed unpacking for tonight, and what she could leave until Sunday. By the time she was out of the shower and dressed in some sweats and a large t shirt, she pretty much knew what she wanted the house to look like by this evening. By her reckoning, she had six hours before she had to start getting ready for Waverly’s arrival-which was more than enough time to get her house in some semblance of order. Starting with the bedroom, Nicole stripped her bed of sheets, and put them into the washing machine. She found the detergent in a box marked ‘kitchen’ and turned the machine on. Deciding to continue in the kitchen, Nicole unpacked the pans and crockery from the various boxes and sorted the cutlery and utensils out. She was quite a baker in her spare time, so had a couple of boxes full of baking paraphernalia, Nicole decided to leave them in their boxes for now as she knew she would want it all put away perfectly, and she was concerned she would get caught up in it. Luckily, there was definitely more house than stuff, so she had enough room to unpack without it turning into complete chaos. She squashed down the empty boxes and moved them into the garage, and tucked away the unpacked boxes into the small utility room off the kitchen. She then moved into the lounge. This room was modest, with a couple of bookcases, a coffee table and a TV unit. There were several boxes of books and DVD’s along with photo’s and a couple of paintings. Nicole set about positioning the furniture where she wanted it. Her plan for tonight was dinner and then hopefully a movie or just chatting on the sofa. Despite what had happened this morning, Nicole had no expectations for this evening, and was just looking forward to getting to know the beauty that is Waverly Earp. Once she had every item in its place, Nicole lay down a rug in between the TV unit and the large sofa and placed her white coffee table in the centre of it. Nicole had placed the book cases either side of her TV, and so unpacked her books and DVDs next. It had taken over an hour to do this room, but as she continued to unpack her belongings, Nicole started to feel more and more at home. She got to a box of paintings and photographs, and she spent another forty minutes deciding where to put them on the walls and book cases. There was a photo of Nicole climbing in Nevada that she was particularly proud of. She is looking at the expanse of land in front of her as she rests just before climbing over the top of the precipice. You can’t see its Nicole, but the sun that’s behind the photographer captures the valley beautifully and as the climber is hanging from one arm looking out, it’s a truly breath-taking photograph. Once this room is done, Nicole realises her laundry has finished, so she makes sure she transfers the clean sheets into the dryer, then makes her way back into the lounge. With this room looking pretty perfect, Nicole decides to head up to the bathroom and sort out her stuff in there. She unpacks her towels and is once again grateful she had laundered all her linen before making the move-being unsure as to whether the washer would have been plumbed in when she arrived. Another hour is spent sorting both the bathroom and the little en-suite attached to the master bedroom. Putting up a few more pictures in the hallway and changing over lampshades and curtains in both bedrooms. By this time it was four thirty, and Nicole was confident she was going to get her bedroom done enough in the next two hours so she could then run to the store and shop and shower again before Waverly arrived.

 

She did manage it. Just. She was just pulling her t shirt on when she heard the doorbell go. Nicole checked herself in the mirror, eyeing her black skinny jeans and an oversized white t shirt in the mirror, she tucked the tee into the front of her jeans, took a deep breath and made her way down the stairs. She opened the door and smiled warmly at the woman standing on the other side.

‘I brought wine’ Waverly chimed. She smiled when handing it over to Nicole and walking over the threshold

‘So I see… thank you’. She took the wine into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of glasses whilst Waverly hung up her coat and took her boots off. She padded into the kitchen and lingered in the doorway as she watched Nicole open the wine and pour a couple of glasses. Nicole was effortless. She looked like she’d been working around this kitchen for years, not just 24 hours.

‘I can’t believe how much you’ve got done today’ Waverly commented whilst leaning against one of the kitchen surfaces. Nicole walked over to her and handed her a glass of wine

‘It’s easy when you have motivation’ Nicole purred, and then she leant down and kissed Waverly softly on the lips.

‘Hey’ she whispered against Waverly’s lips-and Waverly almost passed out.

The evening was actually fairly relaxed. The women chatted whilst Nicole cooked, and the conversation was easy. Nicole wanted to know more about Waverly’s class and Waverly was happy to oblige-people asking Waverly anything other than for her number was a rare occurrence, and she relished being able to talk to someone in depth about her degree. Waverly was also keen to know more about Nicole. Other than she’d moved from Toronto, Nicole had offered little in the way of personal information last night, and Waverly wanted to know everything about the woman sitting opposite her. After dinner, they moved into the lounge and continued getting to know each other. Nicole excused herself in order to go to the bathroom, and when she returned, Waverly was looking at the photo of Nicole in Nevada.

‘This photo is incredible’ Waverly stated whilst continuing to stare at the picture

‘I think so too… I didn’t realise it had been taken until a week or so afterwards when my friend Jeremy presented it to me’ Nicole responded, standing just behind Waverly

‘You mean that’s you up there?’

‘Yeah, I climb. Well I did, but I had a nasty fall during this week in Nevada, and never really took it back up again’

‘Do you want to try it again?’ Waverly questioned. She’d never really been into sports, other than yoga, and that didn’t really feel like a sport.

‘I will eventually, I just need to get back on the horse as it were’ Nicole replied, smiling at the photo absentmindedly

‘What were you doing in Nevada? I mean, did you live there or holidaying?’

‘Oh… well it’s a long story, but basically there was a group of us that went down from Toronto mainly to climb, but also to see Britney live. I ended up getting married there actually. Huge win on the slots, and the euphoria of that climb I guess… seems like a long time ago now… More wine?’

‘You’re married?’

‘Kind of’

‘What do you mean kind of?’ Waverly stood there looking at Nicole, who was standing with an amused look on her face.

‘Well, I am technically married, until hopefully the end of this month, then I will be divorced’

‘Well jeez… isn’t that the sort of thing you should tell a girl before you ask her to spend the night?’ Nicole stood with a smile creeping at the corners of her lips

‘Pretty sure my near divorce isn’t half as interesting as your boyfriend’ Nicole stated matter of factly. Waverly had to admit, she had her there.

‘You make a valid point officer. And he is definitely my ex-boyfriend’ Waverly said, whilst stepping towards Nicole. They looked at each other as Waverly slinked up towards Nicole. Nicole was only too happy to see what Waverly was planning to do next. If she had another drink, she couldn’t drive home, and whilst Nicole wanted to ask Waverly to stay, she also didn’t want Waverly to feel like she has any obligation. Waverly ran her hands up Nicole’s arms and rested them on the nape of her neck, playing with the wisps of hair there. She pulled Nicole in for a kiss, which at first was chaste, but soon became heated. Whilst they had been intimate the night before, this felt different somehow. This felt like it might mean something to both the women, and Waverly was intoxicated with this feeling. She had never felt so desired from just a kiss. Nicole pulled back slightly and looked Waverly in the eye. She could get drunk on this woman pretty easily she thought to herself.

‘Nicole’ Waverly asked

‘Yeah’

‘Take me to bed…’ Waverly didn’t know where this confidence came from, but was pretty sure she could attribute it to the red head. Nicole looked at her like she was everything, and Waverly felt unstoppable in her company. Nicole looked down at her, and smiled, flashing her dimples fully at the shorter woman, before ghosting her lips against Waverly’s and replying

‘Happily baby.’ Nicole led Waverly around her house switching off lights and blowing out candles, making sure she kept hold of her hand. There was a different sort of energy to both the women. They weren’t in any rush. Nicole walked them up the stairs to the bedroom and switched on the table lamp by the bed. As the light spread across Nicole’s room, it revealed a large ginger cat fast asleep once again on Nicole’s bed.

‘Well hello’ Waverly said, whilst slowly reaching her hand out towards the animal.

‘Oh you two haven’t properly met have you? Waverly, allow me to introduce Calamity Jane. She isn’t the friendliest of cats, but she’s mine, and I love her. She can be a bit…’ but Nicole’s words fell on deaf ears as Waverly sat down next to the cat and scratched the top of her head. Calamity seemed to approve of their guest, as she stretched herself out at Waverly’s touch and purred loudly.

‘Well I was going to say she can be a bit difficult, but turns out she’s a complete floozy!’ Nicole laughed and moved closer to the woman who was now fully tickling the cats belly and cooing over her. As daft as it sounds, Nicole became even more enamoured with the woman on her bed. Shae had never taken to CJ (or rather CJ had never taken to Shae) and it always left Nicole feeling a teensy bit uneasy with her ex. Love Nicole, love her cat-and anyone that couldn’t do both, didn’t deserve either.

Waverly tore herself away for the ginger animal and smiled up at Nicole. Nicole cupped Waverly’s face with her hand and leant in again for a kiss. It was slow and sensual, leaving both women breathless. Their love making mirrored that kiss. They took their time and got to know each other’s bodies and what each other liked. Waverly liked to be bitten on her neck-not enough to leave a mark, but enough to feel a nip, and Nicole liked to feel hands in her hair. Waverly enjoyed Nicole taking control and Nicole loved to oblige. Nicole liked instruction, and Waverly liked to be vocal. Whatever they did, and whatever they tried, worked. There was no embarrassment, no holding back and nothing that felt wrong. They made love for hours, and eventually, just as the first birds started to sing, they curled up around each other and drifted off to sleep, Nicole wrapping Waverly up in her arms and Waverly backing her body in to Nicole’s side. 

 

Waverly wasn’t woken up by the shrill tone of her phone ringing. She was woken up by delicate kisses along her shoulder. Nicole was insatiable, but tender. She was passionate, but gentle. She was, quite simply, too much and not enough all at once. Waverly didn’t know what to do with herself. She sighed contentedly and sleepily turned to face this magnificent woman who was lavishing her with kisses.

‘Good morning’ Waverly smiled, taking Nicole’s face in her hands and kissing her softly.

‘Now you see, isn’t it better waking up like this than to answering your phone…’

‘HA! Yes, yes it is’ Waverly concurred. At that moment, Calamity Jane decided to make an appearance, and jumped onto the bed, heading straight for Nicole’s pillow. Waverly laughed, and Nicole thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world. Begrudgingly, Nicole dragged herself out of bed, threw an extra-large t shirt at Waverly and put on a pair of sweats and a faded baggy t-shirt herself, before she made her way downstairs to feed her cat and make coffee-but only after she’d got Waverly to promise not to move from the bed. Armed with the morning paper, a tray consisting of coffee, a pot of earl grey tea (Okay, Nicole might have found out from Chrissy what Waverly liked) some fruit and some croissants, Nicole made her way back to her bedroom. Waverly had never had anyone bring her breakfast in bed before, so tried really hard to keep her enthusiasm in check. And she managed pretty well until Nicole announced it was Earl Grey tea. Then Waverly lost her shit and squealed in delight. Nicole laughed as she laid the tray down on the foot of the bed, and climbed back in next to the brunette. Waverly was checking some emails on her phone, so Nicole poured the drinks, grabbed her glasses and picked up the paper. Waverly watched her curiously as Nicole read. It was a simple task, and one that Waverly found ridiculously cute. Nicole clocked that Waverly was watching her, and looked at her over the top of her glasses.

‘And what, exactly are you looking at Ms Earp?’

‘Oh I don’t know… a cute girl in glasses reading the morning paper like it’s the 1950s…’

‘Reading the paper is a dying art’

‘Hey, I’m all for it… I just… I can’t concentrate with you wearing glasses’

‘Oh really?! And why is that may I ask?’

‘Because you look… hot’

‘Hot? Really?’ Nicole rolled her eyes as Waverly laughed and took a bite of croissant. Calamity Jane had re-entered the bedroom and had jumped up onto the bed. She made her way over to Waverly and settled onto Waverly’s lap. Nicole once again looked over her glasses at Waverly and her traitorous cat, watching the two of them interact. Waverly chatted away to her as CJ purred in response

‘The thing that gets me, is that she’s just so fickle’ Nicole said, pointing her comments at her ginger cat. Waverly laughed, and petted the cat even more

‘Now be fair, you’re reading the paper, I’m just sitting her, adoring her-who would you spend the time with if you were her’

‘… that’s… that’s beside the point’ Nicole retorted, indignantly-to which Waverly laughed even harder. She put her cup down, moved CJ off her lap and crawled over to Nicole slowly. Nicole watched her move towards her, as she placed her coffee cup on her bedside table. Nicole went to take her glasses off, but Waverly reached out her hand to stop her

‘Leave them on’. Nicole raised an eyebrow and smirked. Waverly straddled Nicole’s lap so her legs were either side of Nicole’s hips, and reached for Nicole’s glasses herself. She tipped her hair back behind her shoulders and placed Nicole’s glasses on to her face. Nicole audibly inhaled

‘Oh my…’ she whispered to no-one in particular. Waverly smiled as she leant down and kissed Nicole deeply. Waverly started to grind her hips onto Nicole. Waverly knew exactly what she was doing and Nicole was slowly being driven crazy. Just as Nicole started to move her hands under Waverly’s shirt, a loud shrill rang out from Waverly’s phone. Nicole faltered but Waverly remained where she was

‘Ignore it…’ Waverly whispered as she started to slowly move her kisses down to Nicole’s jaw. Just as she reached Nicole’s ear lobe, the ringing started again.

‘For fuck sake!’ Waverly groaned as she kissed Nicole quickly and got off her lap. Padding over to her phone, she snapped it open and answered perhaps a little harshly than was necessary-assuming it was Wynonna. She wasn’t expecting Gus on the other end of the line. Nicole smiled at Waverly’s instant change in tone and continued to drink her coffee as Waverly agreed to a double shift at Shorty’s starting that afternoon. Guessing their morning was coming to an end, Nicole cleared away the tray of breakfast things, and headed into her bathroom. As she re-entered her bedroom, she stopped at Waverly’s side, who looked up at her sheepishly

‘I’m sorry, I can’t say no to her’ Waverly quietly said to the floor. Nicole tilted Waverly’s chin up towards her and kissed her lightly on the lips.

‘Come shower with me’

‘You’re not angry?’ Waverly asked. Champ had constantly moaned about how much Waverly worked, and she assumed that because they had been interrupted, Nicole would at least be frustrated

‘Waverly Earp, I don’t think I could ever be angry with you… If you have to work, you have to work… but before you go, come take a shower with me’

'How could I possibly say no…’ Waverly replied with a contented sigh as she was led into the bathroom.

 

After they had said their goodbyes and Waverly had headed off to work, Nicole busied herself with finishing unpacking her house. She had a sort of make shift gym for the garage, so set about hanging the punch bag and sorting her weights out. Although she was fairly occupied with her body, her mind could not stop gravitating towards thoughts of Waverly Earp. Nicole had been happy with how she held herself around the younger woman. She could feel herself wanting more and more from the brunette, but she was also aware Waverly had just ended a long term relationship with a guy, and whilst she knew Waverly had experience with women (you don’t learn to do THAT just by looking on the internet), Nicole wasn’t sure if Waverly was out, or if she even wanted anything from Nicole. She hoped Waverly could see the potential in them-but Nicole knew she had to let Waverly figure it out herself. So Nicole decided she needed to just ride this out, and not overthink this too much. She liked Waverly, and wanted to see more of her-but she had no intention of pushing her in to being someone she’s not. Or at least she’s not yet ready to be.

Having realised there was very little left to do in the house, Nicole headed out to the store to get her weekly supplies in. She was starting a new job tomorrow and had no idea how the hours were going to be-so she filled up her kitchen with various food and spent the rest of the day cooking meals for the week. She was kidding herself if she thought she’d not spend the rest of the day thinking about Waverly, so she resigned herself to those thoughts as she finished her chores round the house. By the evening, Nicole had cooked, cleaned, changed her bed, done some weights, and was settling down for a film. As she relaxed, she realised how tired she was after the weekends activities, so taking a glass of wine upstairs, she ran a long, hot bath and grabbed an early night. And she was determined she was not going to think about Waverly Earp… nope… not one bit…

 

It was close to midnight when Waverly finally kicked the last of the customers out of Shorty’s and locked up behind the bar. She was exhausted, and as she was on an early shift tomorrow, all she really wanted to do was get home and crawl into bed. Well, that was a blatant lie. What she ACTUALLY wanted to do was crawl into Nicole’s bed-but it was late and Waverly didn’t even know what this was between them. She needed to figure out what she wanted this to be. Waverly knew she wanted to spend more time with Nicole, but she also knew she wasn’t ready for the whole town to know what was happening. And as much as Waverly hated to admit it, she hadn’t been single for over three years, and the sensible part of her knew she had to take some time for herself. Although she hadn’t known Nicole for very long, she was pretty certain the red head would understand that a casual relationship would be best for her right now. Nicole terrified Waverly in ways that she didn’t know how to handle. The thought of rushing into something with the red head was appealing in all sorts of ways, but she was feeling overwhelmed by the past forty eight hours-she needed to take some time. And maybe make a plan…

As she pulled up to the homestead she could see Wynonna’s bedroom light on, so decided to go in and talk to her sister about all of this. Whilst they had spoken briefly about it yesterday, Waverly felt like she wanted to confide in Wynonna, and get her opinion (however honest) on the idea of her dating the officer. Waverly tapped on the door lightly, and entered Wynonna’s room. The older woman was surrounded by files and was clearly in the middle of working, so Waverly apologised for disturbing her

‘Hey, don’t be sorry, I could use the break… Wanna drink?’ Wynonna asked whilst getting up from the floor where papers were spread all around her

‘Yeah, actually, I really would’. The two sisters headed into the kitchen and chatted idly about their days whilst Wynonna poured them their drinks. Waverly took the glass gratefully and sat at the table, peering out of the window. Wynonna watched her younger sister closely-she obviously had something on her mind, but Wynonna wasn’t going to push it-she’d learnt long ago that if Waverly Earp wanted to talk, then she would do so on her own damn time. So they sat in silence, sipping their whisky. Waverly sighed deeply and turned to her sister

‘So… I think I like Nicole’

‘Well I know that baby girl…’ Wynonna replied, without a hint of sarcasm.

‘Do you think it’s too soon? I mean, I JUST broke up with Champ’

‘Did you break up with Champ for Nicole?’ Wynonna asked. She figured the answer was no, but wanted to check regardless

‘God no… I mean, I should have ended it months ago, if not years… but being with Nicole showed me what I’ve been missing. She scares the crap out of me Nonna. But in a really good way. I just… I just don’t want to rush into it and fuck it up’. Wynonna paused before answering-she understood the feeling that being an Earp meant everything you touch gets ruined, or spoilt in some way. Wynonna would never admit it, but she was not as confident as she may appear. Looking at her little sister right now, knowing that she needed her help and guidance, gave Wynonna a sense of belonging she’d long since lost.

‘Well have you talked to Nicole about this?’

‘Erm… no… I was going to this morning, but then Gus called, and then I got distracted…’

‘Okay, whatever you’re thinking to make your face blush like that needs to stop. I love you baby girl, but I don’t wanna think about what you and Haughtdamn get up to’. Waverly laughed, and apologised at the same time

‘What is it you actually want from Nicole?’ Wynonna asked tentatively

‘Well that’s just it, I have no real idea… I’ve never really dated before-I went straight from adolescence to Champ, and I was with him for over three years… I don’t know how to do this Nonna…’ Wynonna looked at her younger sister and her heart swelled for her. She knew that Nicole was a good bet, but she also knew her sister HAD to go and experience a bit of life before reaching that conclusion-if she didn’t need to, then her and Nicole would be a done deal already.

‘Look, the way I see it is you’ve spent a couple of nights with the woman. Just get to know her-you don’t have to jump straight into marriage and babies. Just relax baby girl… Haught’s definitely got the hots for you, so just see where it takes you. If you try and put a label on it right now then you’re not letting it grow fully…’

‘Wow Nonna… that’s bumper sticker material right there’ Waverly sniffed whilst wiping away a tear.

‘I know… I need another drink-I’ve clearly been hanging around you too long’. And with that, Wynonna got up and poured them another healthy measure of whisky. Waverly eventually crawled into bed, and stuck her phone on to charge. It lit up immediately with a couple of texts sent a lot earlier in the evening from Nicole

 

Nicole: I think it’s important you know I’m not thinking about you one bit*

*I am and have been all day. (8.27pm)

Nicole: Also, you’ll be delighted to hear I am once again Calamity’s favourite… ‘Young cat’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.’ Hope you had a good day-maybe see you this week? (8.29pm)

Waverly grinned from ear to ear. Nicole Haught quoted Shakespeare. She quoted fucking Shakespeare. Yep, Waverly thought to herself, she is going to be the death of me.

Waverly: That’s it, me and CJ are over. Day was fine-You’ll be pleased to hear that you didn’t occupy my thoughts at all… ;-). I’d love to see you this week but I’m working 2-close Monday to Friday, so not sure when we can, but let me know if you think you can squeeze me in (1.03am)

Waverly shut her phone off and drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Nicole once again playing on her mind


	3. Chapter three

Chapter three

Calling Nicole’s first fortnight at work busy was an understatement. As the biggest town around for miles, Purgatory Sheriff’s department served a wide community over an expansive area. Nedley had taken Nicole around the parameters of their jurisdiction, and they had come up with a routine for all officers now there was an extra person on the force. Her days were long, and her breaks were few-but that was partly Nicole’s choice so she could get as up to speed as possible with her new place of work. Nedley had gone out on patrol with her for the first week-introducing her to local businesses and politicians. It was a part of the job Nicole hated, but acknowledged had to be done. But it did mean she had no chance of heading into Shorty’s over the two weeks to grab a coffee with Waverly. They had exchanged texts and kept up to date with each-others routines, but Nicole had to admit she was looking forward to her two days off on Sunday and Monday, so that she might catch a glimpse of the younger woman.

Nicole knew they needed to have a proper conversation about what was happening between them-although she was very well aware of the fact that whatever Waverly wanted, Nicole would agree. She had a feeling Waverly wanted to take her time. Whilst they had had two fantastic nights together, and two very different nights at that, she felt like she KNEW Waverly. She saw her, and she got that the younger woman may need some time.

Nicole went out to her cruiser about to do her afternoon patrol, when Wynonna pulled up on an incredibly impressive motorbike. She pulled over to where Nicole was standing and killed the engine

‘Well hellooooooo there Haughtstuff’

‘Well hello there Earp. How’s it going? Caught any bad guys yet?’

‘Have you?’

‘Working on it…’

‘Well that makes one of us. When does your shift end? Wanna grab a drink tonight?’

‘Like a date?’ Nicole cheekily asked

‘HA! You wish!! No, like I feel sorry for your lonely ass and am taking pity on you’

‘Oh well in that case, how can I say no?’ Nicole retorted. She was smiling as she said it, knowing full well Wynonna didn’t extend offers of company to many people. She had heard rumours about the so called Earp legacy, but in all honesty, Nicole’s opinion hadn’t changed. She didn’t give a shit about gossip, all she knew was that in the fortnight they’d been working in the same building, Wynonna had made an effort with Nicole and had gone out of her way to make Nicole feel welcome (in her own unique way). Something she had been assured was most unlike Wynonna. Whatever the reasons she was getting an invite, Nicole liked Wynonna Earp very much, and was looking forward to a drink with her.

The sun was still out when Nicole finished her shift. She had got a message from Wynonna to meet her at Shorty’s ASAP, so she put her sunglasses on and walked over to the bar. She was planning to head home, grab something to eat and feed Calamity, so walked over to the bar in her work uniform. As she got to the doors, one of them flew open and Waverly Earp appeared. She wasn’t looking where she was going and walked straight into Nicole.

‘Oh gosh, I am so….’ And then she stopped dead. Nicole was looking down at her and flashing those dimples.

‘Well hello there Ms Earp’ Nicole purred

‘Officer…’ She replied. And then Waverly blatantly checked Nicole out.

‘My my Officer Haught… don’t you look…’ Waverly didn’t finish the sentence and instead bit her bottom lip. Nicole stretched her arm up and rested it against the door frame, leaning in to Waverly slightly

‘Don’t I look what?’ She asked with a smirk-feeling mildly pleased with the affect she was having on the smaller woman

‘Tired’ Waverly retorted. ‘I was going to say tired’. She was aware how much Nicole was enjoying this. Nicole laughed. And not a chuckle, a full belly laugh and replied

‘Now you and I both know that’s not what you were going to say’ She pushed off the door frame and took her sunglasses off so she could look Waverly in the eye. ‘Are you leaving?’

‘Yeah… I’m… Well… I’m meeting someone for dinner’ Waverly said, not quite meeting Nicole’s eyes. And that told Nicole all she needed to know. Waverly clearly had a date. Nicole cursed inwardly at how busy she’d been, and she couldn’t blame Waverly for agreeing to see someone else. Waverly shuffled from foot to foot, but Nicole was a cool as a cucumber as she leant down to Waverly’s ear and whispered

‘Well I hope you have a wonderful evening Waverly Earp’ and then she was opening the door and disappearing into the bar. Leaving Waverly cursing to herself on the street outside.

Nicole managed to convince Wynonna she needed to go home a feed her cat, but instead of Nicole slipping off quietly to do it, Wynonna tagged along too. They arrived at her house and Nicole let them in, heading straight to the kitchen to give Calamity her food and some fresh water.

‘You want a beer?’ she offered to her house guest. Since Waverly had dropped the ‘date bomb’ on her, she suddenly felt like drinking-and she figured Wynonna always felt like drinking, so she sent a silent thank you to the beer gods that had convinced her to throw a slab of beer into her shopping cart last weekend, and handed the oldest Earp an opened bottle.

‘So… Waves has a… sort of date…’ Wynonna started awkwardly. Wynonna liked Nicole, and she wasn’t blind. She could tell Nicole liked her younger sister, and it didn’t feel right to spend the evening with Nicole and NOT tell her where Waverly was.

‘Yeah, I bumped into her as she left Shorty’s’ Nicole replied

‘You okay?’ Wynonna asked tentatively. Nicole smiled at her friend (she felt like that’s what they were becoming) and nodded slowly

‘Yeah, sure. I mean, Waverly is young free and single, I can’t be annoyed about that can I?’

‘Well no… but…’ and Wynonna exhaled audibly and slumped down next to Nicole on the sofa. Nicole laughed, and banged into Wynonna’s shoulder light heartedly

‘Seriously girl, don’t worry about it-she needs to go figure her shit out, but I’m pretty confident she’ll do that quickly’ Nicole said-sounding more confident than she felt. Wynonna shrugged and took a long pull of beer

‘Well, if it’s any consolation-I’m rooting for you Haught’. And Nicole laughed. She got up and declared she was going to get ready for a Saturday night out in Purgatory. Whilst she didn’t really want to go out, she had accepted a night out with Wynonna, and she’d be damned if she was going to let her down. Wynonna perked up at that

‘Seriously Haught, we don’t have to if you don’t feel like it…’

‘Are you kidding me? I’m going to grab a quick shower and change, and then I’m going to beat your ass at pool’. Nicole disappeared upstairs and left Wynonna on the sofa. Calamity Jane stalked up to the sofa and eyed Wynonna suspiciously.

‘Don’t even think about it lady’ Wynonna said looking down at the Ginger fur ball. Calamity ignored Wynonna’s threats and jumped up onto the brunettes lap. Wynonna muttered something incoherent to the cat, before stroking her head. The cat responded instantly by plopping done on Wynonna’s lap and purring loudly. Wynonna grumbled to herself but continued to stroke the overly friendly feline. They stayed like that until Nicole appeared again at the bottom of the stairs. She looked at the cat and shook her head. ‘I swear to god, it must be something in the water’ Nicole thought to herself as she pulled on her boots and tried to ignore the picture of cuteness that was currently being played out on her couch.

‘Come on then you, let’s go get shots’ Nicole eventually said-feeling like she was interrupting a moment for both Wynonna and her cat. The women left Nicole’s house and walked back to the bar.

They expected the bar to be busy. They expected to have to queue at the bar and wait to be served like everyone else. What they didn’t expect was Waverly Earp standing on her own at the bar chewing on her bottom lip. She looked up when Nicole and Wynonna entered and marched straight over to the women

‘Baby girl!’ Wynonna cheered as Waverly approached ‘I thought you were on a date?’ Waverly shot a look at her sister, and then at Nicole who had an expression on her face that Waverly couldn’t read.

‘Can I talk to you for a minute please?’ Waverly asked Nicole

‘Sure… Hey Wynonna, I’ll have a beer and a shot of whisky’ Nicole declared.

‘Who the hell is paying for that?’ Wynonna asked incredulously

‘You are Earp, as well you know’. Nicole shot Wynonna a smile and a wink as she turned to Waverly ‘lead the way’. Waverly wasn’t quite sure what she had just witnessed between her sister and the red head, but she had an uneasy feeling it was flirting, and Waverly had no emotional capacity to deal with THAT right now. Nicole followed Waverly through the bar and upstairs to a room above the bar. Nicole vaguely remembered there being an offer of a room the Earp girls can use to crash in if they’d drunk too much, and she guessed this was the room they used.

‘I used to live in here before Nonna moved back’ Waverly explained as Nicole was looking around the modest studio.

‘Look…I just wanted to… well… explain I guess…’ Waverly started

‘There’s really no need Waverly’ Nicole replied ‘I get it. You’ve JUST come out of a relationship with a guy, you need to be single for a bit right?’ Waverly blinked at the woman standing in front of her

‘Well… I mean… I don’t know. I know I really like you Nicole, but like you said, I’ve not been single for three years-I kind of just feel like I might need some time…’

‘Good to know’ Nicole replied simply.

‘Nicole… I just… I’d like to continue to see you, and see where this is going, but… I just need to… keep it casual I guess…’ Nicole took a deep breath. Whilst she understood where Waverly was coming from, she wasn’t much of a sharer. But she knew she would rather have an open relationship with Waverly than no relationship. She exhaled slowly, then walked towards the youngest Earp. She took Waverly’s face in her hands and kissed her slowly.

‘Light and casual it is’ she said simply. ‘Now, I have a date with a pool table and your sister, and I believe you have dinner with someone mysterious in the city…’ and Nicole turned on her heel and headed for the door ‘and I mean it Waves… I hope you have a good night’ and Nicole shot her a huge, dimpled smile and left the room.

Wynonna had managed to get a pool table at the back of the bar, and was chalking a cue when Nicole joined her.

‘Everything okay?’ the older woman asked.

‘Yep… we’re keeping it light and casual’

‘Of course you are Haughtshot, of course you are’ Wynonna replied sceptically. Admittedly, she didn’t know the officer very well, but she did know her sister-and she knew full well this light and casual arrangement was complete and utter bullshit. 

 

Nicole and Wynonna ended up staying in Shorty’s long in to the night. They played pool, they did shots, they both got chatted up by Stupid Carl, and they both laughed a lot. Wynonna was easier company than anyone appeared to give her credit for and Nicole was grateful for that. She found both Earp girls intriguing for many different reasons, but the older one was funny as hell, and whilst there was clearly a rebellious streak hidden in the depths of her personality, Nicole could see Wynonna was really trying to fit in and belong-and Nicole realised that evening she had a hell of a lot more in common with the older woman than she first thought. Dolls joined them half way through the night, and even Chrissy agreed to stay for a couple of drinks when she popped in to try and find Waverly. Nicole was starting to really enjoy her life here in Purgatory, and she had to admit to herself that was largely due to the eldest Earp, and not the youngest.

By the time Waverly returned to the bar, the group were in full flow and any awkwardness Nicole was feeling had long since dissipated. Waverly’s attention was brought to them by her sister’s laugh. She heard it bellow across the bar during a break in music, and when she turned her head to see what she was making all the noise about, Waverly noticed that Beth Gardner had cornered Nicole by the toilets, and was pawing at the red head- Wynonna was enjoying how uncomfortable it was clearly making Nicole. Waverly was about to go over and rescue her when she saw Wynonna get up from the table and head in their direction. She threw her arm round Nicole and said something to Beth, who swung round and marched away. Nicole stood looking aghast at Wynonna, who had descended into fits of giggles once more. Waverly watched the interaction with a smile on her face-it was good to see Wynonna enjoying herself, and she clearly liked Nicole more than she was letting on.

Waverly went over to the group with a round of shots in tow. She had decided to join them and just hoped Nicole wouldn’t be too awkward about her evening out. As it happened, Waverly had nothing to worry about. As she approached the table, Wynonna saw her first and waved at her enthusiastically

‘Baby girl!! I thought you were on a date?’ she once again queried.

‘I was, but now I’m back’ she stated simply, making sure to give nothing away. It had been a good evening. She had agreed to go for dinner with a guy from her history class. The conversation had been easy, and he was good company, but he wasn’t Nicole. She didn’t know what it was that was holding her back and stopping her from just being with Nicole-but there was a nagging feeling in her that if she went head first into this relationship with her, she would fuck it up-and she didn’t want to take the risk. No, she had asked for time to figure stuff out, so that’s what she was going to have. She needed to date some people, and figure out what she wants and NEEDS in a partner-instead of diving into a lust driven relationship.

Chrissy, who was uncharacteristically drunk, slid along the booth and made space for the youngest Earp

‘I brought shots’ Waverly announced, which was met with cheering and whooping all round. Waverly handed the drinks out and they all raised their glasses before drinking. Nicole caught Waverly’s eye and winked at her, before downing her shot and turning to Wynonna to continue their argument about the best place in New York to get pizza. Waverly and Chrissy chatted for a while before Waverly made her excuses and headed up to the studio. She really needed to change out of her boots and if she was being honest, she was couple of minutes away from dragging Nicole with her, and that would be a shitty move to pull on the red head. As she disappeared through the bar, Wynonna watched her go with curiosity.

‘I don’t get it… I mean, why is she dicking about with other people? We all know she wants you Haughtshot’

‘I know’ Chrissy chimed in ‘She told me it was the best sex she’d ever had-why would you pass that up?! Hell, I’m one step away from trying to seduce you myself’ Nicole looked both mortified and delighted all at once-which was quite the look to pull off. Chrissy didn’t seem to realise what she’d said, even as the table all went silent and looked at her.

‘Did I say that out loud?’ Chrissy suddenly asked.

‘Little bit...’ Nicole replied with a smile. She liked that the group were in her corner, but she wasn’t about to push Waverly into anything she wasn’t ready for.

‘Look, honestly guys, its fine-she needs to figure out who she is-and it’s not like she’s asked me to wait, she just wants me to…be open to sharing….’ Nicole said. She didn’t want to be seen to be waiting around for Waverly (even if she knew in her heart that she’d probably wait forever for her) so she decided that maybe she would take Beth Gardner up on the offer of coffee. Nicole wasn’t in to game playing, but it wouldn’t hurt to meet other people would it?

Having changed and returned to the booth, Waverly quickly realised she was a very sober person in a sea of very drunk people. As she approached them, she could see Nicole and Wynonna bickering good naturedly, but noticed they were arguing because Nicole had her coat on and was making tracks to head home

‘After party at yours?’ Wynonna was trying to convince the red head, but Nicole was holding firm

‘No chance Earp, I got two days off then night shift for two weeks, I’m not spending one of those days hung over in your company’ she retorted, but then she leant down and kissed Wynonna’s cheek. Everybody in the booth stopped and stared at the taller woman, surprised by her action.

‘What?! Where I’m from we kiss those we like good night’

‘So THAT’S why Waverly ended up in your bed, she got confused!’ Wynonna declared

‘WYNONNA’ Waverly shouted aghast. Everyone then turned to Waverly who was blushing furiously and shooting daggered looks at her sister. Nicole, for her good grace laughed.

‘Believe me Earp, if I wanted you in my bed, you’d be in it by now’ Nicole replied, she then turned to Chrissy and kissed her cheek, moving on to Dolls, who uncharacteristically allowed the affection. Nicole turned to Waverly and bent down to her ear quickly, whispering

‘I’d love to see you tomorrow if you can squeeze me in’. She then kissed her lightly on her cheek and was gone. Waverly felt like her legs might go from under her for the second time in one night because of that woman. 

 

Nicole was woken the next morning by her doorbell. Whilst she wasn’t feeling massively hung over, she was definitely feeling something, so it took her a moment to rally and find something to throw on before heading downstairs to her unexpected guest. She found Waverly at the other side of her door, holding two coffee cups, a brown bag that looked suspiciously like donuts and a paper under her arm.

‘I bring coffee’ she smiled-but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, which alerted Nicole instantly to something being wrong

‘Well aren’t you a life saver’ Nicole replied whilst holding the door for her ‘Please, come in’ and Waverly’s smile broadened as she passed under the arm of the taller woman.

Waverly headed straight to the kitchen to put the food and drink down, and then she handed Nicole a copy of the New York Times. Nicole’s bemused look prompted Waverly to offer an explanation

‘I heard you and Wynonna bickering on the best place to get pizza in New York last night, and, it turns out that today’s supplement offers a compelling argument for Wynonna’s choice’. Nicole’s dimples flashed themselves at Waverly as she stepped towards her

‘Well thank you so much for proving me wrong-I’m relieved I have you around to keep me… grounded…’

‘You can always rely on me to keep it real’ the smaller woman smiled in reply. Nicole fought the compulsion to lean over and kiss her. There was something off about Waverly this morning, and Nicole would patiently wait to be informed as to what it was. Waverly took tentative steps towards her host and made a show of slipping her hands behind Nicole’s back and pulling her in for a hug. Nicole returned the affection immediately, and pulled Waverly closer towards her in a tight embrace. She felt the smaller woman relax into her arms and sighed contentedly, kissing the top of Waverly’s head and inhaling the scent of Waverly’s coconut shampoo.

‘This feels nice’ Waverly eventually stated

‘Yes it does…’ Nicole breathed out quietly. She then bent down to look Waverly in the eye and slowly leant in to kiss her. Waverly had the time to pull away if it wasn’t what she wanted. But she didn’t. Because this was EXACTLY what Waverly wanted. She wanted to be consumed by the taller woman in her arms. She had never been a serial dater before. She had literally dated Champ, and that was it. She didn’t know how to do this. So she was looking for guidance if nothing else. She didn’t know whether it was socially acceptable to be with one person one day, and then someone else the next. The whole process left her terribly confused, but then Nicole had been SO okay with it. She had practically sent her on her way to the date with a wink and an ‘it’s okay’. So Waverly found herself waking up this morning even MORE confused than when she had gone to bed. She would have spoken to Wynonna about, but she already knew her sister would tell her to talk to Nicole. So here she was. On Nicole’s doorstep with a coffee, a donut and a yearning for the red head that, try as she might, she just couldn’t shake off.

Nicole ghosted her lips down Waverly’s jaw and took her face in both her hands. She looked at the younger woman with her deep brown eyes, and Waverly could feel herself melting into her touch. They kissed softly, and as Nicole swiped Waverly’s lower lip with her tongue, Waverly pulled Nicole tighter into her. Nicole eventually broke the kiss, smiled down at her guest as she said

‘Either I have too few clothes on. Or you have too many on-which one do you think it is?’ Waverly smiled. It was so intrinsically Nicole to put the ball once more in Waverly’s court. The internal battle Waverly had been having inside herself seemed to disappear at the thought of once again being intimate with Nicole. So she put aside her feelings of doubt, and decided that she couldn’t spend another second in this woman’s company with clothes on.

‘Take your clothes off Officer’

‘Yes Ma’am’ Nicole whispered back. She took Waverly’s hand and led her to the bedroom. Nicole was aware that Waverly had shared her company with someone else last night, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop what was happening-more importantly, she didn’t WANT to stop. Waverly was like a drug to her, and she was only too happy to feed her addiction.

They spent the majority of the day in bed, flitting from rampant, frantic sex to soft and intimate sex. They both set the pace, and were only too happy to have the day disappear around them as they continued their discovery of each other. Waverly was becoming bolder in her actions, and Nicole was only too happy to allow Waverly to take control. Nicole had a dominant streak in her, which she had enjoyed sharing with past partners, but with Waverly, she was just as satisfied to let go and be told what to do and how to do it.

Eventually, the day slipped away completely, and after a lazy supper of a baked potatoes and salad, Waverly decided it was time to get going. Ordinarily, Nicole would have protested and tried to get Waverly to stay with her-and she did offer it as an option, but after much deliberation, Waverly decided to head back to the homestead for a night in her own bed. Nicole walked her to the battered red jeep in her drive way and as Waverly sat in the front seat and started the engine, Nicole did a quick glance around to check they were alone before leaning into the car and kissing Waverly gently on the lips. Waverly sighed once more at Nicole’s soft touch and almost changed her mind about staying, but before she could, Nicole pulled away and was saying her goodbyes before walking back to her porch to wave her off from the front door. As Nicole closed the door, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. Waverly Earp could go out on all the dates she wanted-but there was never going to be anyone that came close to what they had-and Nicole was prepared to settle in and wait for Waverly to reach the same conclusion.

 

Waverly practically skipped into the Homestead on that Sunday evening. Wynonna had been dozing on the sofa when she heard her little sister enter the house humming to herself with a spring in her step. Whilst she was happy to see the younger woman so delighted, she couldn’t help the feeling that she was going to tie herself in knots if she kept up this pretence of ‘casual relationship’ with Nicole Haught. Waverly was a lot of things, but casual was not one of them. On top of that, Wynonna enjoyed Nicole’s company immeasurably. She had an air about her that screamed loyal, and they had ironically probably spent more time together than Nicole and Waverly had. Wynonna didn’t go in for female friends-she had had a shitty childhood, and an even shittier adolescence-drifting seamlessly into adulthood. She had left as soon as she was able to, and only came back to her home town a year ago. If it hadn’t been for Doll’s seeing her stealthily jump Champ in the alleyway at the back of Shorty’s nine months ago (having watched him flirt with Stephanie fucking Jones all night right under Waverly’s nose), she would never have got the job offer of joining Doll’s in tracking down bail skippers, and she would probably have moved on again. Thinking back, she has Dolls to thank for pretty much everything. He and Waverly had single handedly shown her there was more to this shitty town then bad memories and Wynonna was getting an increasing feeling that Nicole Haught will soon be added to the list of people she should stick around for.

‘Somebody is happy’ Wynonna dryly commented from the couch

‘Somebody is yes…’ Waverly retorted

‘Good day with Nicole?’ Wynonna asked, whilst smirking slightly

‘Who says I’ve been with Nicole?’ Waverly replied indignantly

‘The hickey on your neck’ Wynonna drawls with an even bigger smirk

‘SHIT’ Waverly says exasperatedly. She has a presentation to do for her final assessment at university and really needed to make a good impression. Wynonna started laughing, and Waverly soon realises she’s being teased by her older sister. She stalks over to the couch, whips the cushion Wynonna is resting her head on and uses it to beat Wynonna over the head with. Wynonna can’t contain her glee at worrying her sister momentarily, and laughs even harder when Waverly starts her assault

‘You. Are. An. Ass hat’ Waverly shouts between beatings. This just spurs Wynonna on further, and before long, both Earp sisters are laughing so hard they’re trying to catch their breath.

Eventually, Waverly sits down next to Wynonna and they fall into a comfortable silence whilst the TV plays an episode of some gruesome crime drama. The women start to get more sucked into the plot when there’s a loud knock at the door. Both the Earp’s jump out of their skin (although neither would admit it)

‘Who the fuck is that at this time of night?’ Wynonna questions whilst reaching for her pistol strapped to her leg.

‘Wynonna, its eight thirty, perhaps tone down the gun touting’ Waverly reasons whilst getting up to answer the door. She's delighted to find Nicole on the other side of it.

‘Hey, sorry to bother you, but you left your phone at mine, and I figured you might need it’ the red head says whilst shifting from foot to foot. Waverly has never seen Nicole nervous before-she’s always so sure of herself, but Waverly then realised this is the first time Nicole has been to the homestead-and she also realises that nervous Nicole might be her favourite Nicole.

‘Who is it?’ Wynonna shouts from the couch before Waverly has a chance to reply to their guest.

‘It’s Nicole’ Waverly shouts back, before turning back to the porch and offering Nicole her most impressive smile.

‘Thank you so much-you needn’t have driven all the way out here though. Please, come in’ and Waverly then walks away from the door, giving Nicole no choice but to follow the petite brunette.

‘Hey there Haughtstuff’ Wynonna offers as Nicole enters the front room. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting Wynonna’s house to look like, but this place was definitely channelling Waverly more than the eldest Earp. The couch was large and welcoming (even with Wynonna sprawled out on it), there was a coffee table sitting on a large, if not threadbare rug in front of the fire, and the TV had been mounted over the mantle. The only thing it lacked were photo’s. There was not one piece of family memorabilia anywhere to be seen in the lounge, and Nicole couldn’t figure out whether that was intentional or an oversight

‘Earp’ she replies as she walks through the lounge and follows Waverly into the kitchen. Waverly watched Nicole look round the kitchen nervously, and decides the only way Nicole will relax is if Waverly makes her. So she strides over to where the taller woman is standing and kisses her deeply. When Waverly eventually pulls away, she notices Nicole’s lips chase after her own, so she ghosts hers along Nicole’s jaw and whispers

‘Want to know a secret?’ Waverly asks seductively

‘Go on…’ Nicole answers breathily

‘I left my phone on purpose. I knew you wouldn’t leave it until tomorrow to return it…. I wanted a night in my bed… but I want you in it too’ Waverly admitted. Nicole’s smile was so large her dimples looked like they couldn’t get any deeper

‘Well that’s…. sneaky…’

‘Isn’t it just… Want to see where you’re sleeping tonight?’

‘Lead the way…’ Waverly took Nicole’s hand and entwined their fingers together. She led her through to the lounge. Wynonna was still lying on the sofa, engrossed in the TV show

‘Wynonna, Nicole is staying tonight okay?’ Waverly stated as they passed by the couch towards the stairs.

‘Okay, but I’m saying this now so we all know where we stand… If I hear screaming, I’m coming in brandishing a gun’ Wynonna replied.

'WYNONNA' Waverly said exasperated. Nicole dropped their hands and sauntered over to the back of the couch. the red head leant down and whispered into Wynonna’s ear

‘She’s not much of a screamer-but she sounds fucking beautiful when she begs for more’. Nicole then winked at the oldest Earp, before returning to Waverly’s side and saying ‘lead the way’. Waverly looked between the two women and shook her head-whatever was going on between to two older women, she was not getting involved. She knew her sister well enough to know that she really enjoyed Nicole’s company, and Waverly didn’t want to get in the way of that. Sisters before misters and all that…. Or whatever the lesbian equivalent was…

The two women made their way upstairs to Waverly’s room, and once they were inside, Waverly made sure she locked the door. She didn’t think Wynonna actually WOULD barge in, but Waverly wasn’t willing to take the risk. Although they had been with each other most of the day, Waverly was insatiable. She couldn’t seem to get enough of Nicole, and the fact she knew she had to be quieter than usual somehow turned her on even more. Hearing Nicole’s breath hitching in Waverly’s ear as she entered her drove her wild, and she didn’t seem to want to stop. Nicole had never felt so wanted.

As they lay in their post orgasmic haze, the women faced each other, rosy cheeked and with a sheen of sweat on their bodies.

‘What are you up to tomorrow?’ Nicole asked, whilst stroking Waverly’s arm.

‘I have a presentation at uni on Thursday, so I’m prepping for that. What about you?’

‘Off tomorrow but start night shifts on Tuesday for thirteen nights straight’

‘Is that even legal?’ Waverly asked. Nicole laughed lightly as she raised Waverly’s hand and kissed her palm

‘Yep, I’m afraid so… but THEN I get three days straight off-so it’ll be totally worth it’. Waverly stroked Nicole’s face with the hand Nicole had been kissing. Nicole leant into the touch, but yawned at the same time.

‘Have I worn you out baby?’ Waverly asked, whilst smiling at the sleepy Officer. Nicole didn’t want to admit it, but she had. She lay onto her back and pulled Waverly into her.

‘Maybe a little bit’ Nicole replied. Waverly smiled up at her and then kissed her collarbone. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. Nicole started to stroke Waverly’s hair whilst they drifted off to sleep. 

 

Waverly woke to an alarm on her phone reminding her she had a study session at uni starting in a little over an hour. She looked over at the sleeping woman next to her, and decided to let her stay in slumber whilst she got ready. She showered and dressed quickly, heading downstairs to make Nicole a coffee. Wynonna had managed to get herself to bed instead of sleeping on the couch, so Waverly didn’t have to be too quiet as she skittered around the kitchen making coffee and cobbling together a breakfast to take up to the sleeping red head. She crept upstairs once more and entered her room to find Nicole still fast asleep. Waverly took the coffee back downstairs and poured it into a thermos. She wanted the drink to be warm for her guest when she eventually woke up. Once again creeping up the stairs and into her bedroom, Waverly placed the flask onto the bedside table, and wrote a note for Nicole, explaining where she had disappeared to and promising to call her later. She then grabbed her bag and books and headed down to the car. Wynonna had uncharacteristically woken up early and was helping herself to the left over coffee when Waverly got downstairs.

‘Oh… hey… Sorry, I have to dash out to school-Nicole is asleep upstairs. You don’t mind do you?’

‘Do I mind that Red’s upstairs in your bed… Actually I don’t mind at all’ Wynonna answered truthfully

‘Okay, great, look, I’ve got to go, I’m so late… just… be nice to her okay?’ Wynonna looked at her sister and clutched her chest dramatically

‘I am offended by the implication’

‘Yeah yeah sure… Okay, gotta go-see you for dinner?’

‘Yep, sounds good’ Wynonna responded as Waverly disappeared through the door and into her jeep. Wynonna stood by the window and watched her little sister drive away. She stayed standing there, looking over the land they had inherited from their father, Ward, and started to think about all the things they could do to improve it. There was a barn off to the left which was in need of repair, and the roof of the homestead had seen better days. Wynonna was lost in thought when Nicole padded downstairs with a coffee in hand and startled the oldest Earp with her morning greeting

‘Jesus Haught, wear a bell’ Wynonna spluttered

‘Sorry Earp… you okay?’

‘Yeah, just thinking about stuff’

‘What kind of stuff?’ Nicole enquired.

‘Oh just home improvements-nothing too deep’ Wynonna replied. She then turned to the red head and smiled at her

‘Sooooooo light and casual eh?! And how’s that going?’

‘Pretty good thanks’ Nicole replied. She headed into the kitchen to drop the empty bowl of fruit into the sink and turned back to her friend. Wynonna eyed the taller woman suspiciously for a moment, but then decided not to say more-they were adults, if they wanted to deny what was actually going on, then far be it from her to throw in her opinion.

‘Hey, you seem handy… how are you at DIY?’ Wynonna asked instead

‘Erm… depends what you’re after… Can I build you a kitchen-yeah, with help… but could I rewire your house? No I couldn’t… Why? What do you need?’

‘Well you could put us in a new kitchen…’ Wynonna retorted ‘But I’m thinking our roof needs looking at, and I’d like to fix up the porch… and maybe the barn…’

‘Okay…. You wanna explain to me why?’ Nicole asked. Since she’d appeared in the Earp’s kitchen, she had picked up on something from Wynonna, and she wasn’t sure what-but this conversation was coming from somewhere. Wynonna furrowed her brow, and threw a questioning look at the red head. But Nicole stood firm and waited. Eventually, Wynonna puffed out her cheeks and looked down at her feet.

‘How much do you know about mine and Waverly’s background?’ Wynonna asked.

‘Not a lot-I know you grew up in Purgatory, and I know you went travelling and that’s about it’ Nicole answered honestly. She had heard Wynonna was wild, and Waverly wasn’t, but other than that, Nicole had zoned out on any other gossip.

‘You know how refreshing it is to meet someone who knows next to nothing about you?!’ Wynonna states simply.

‘To cut a very long story short Red, When our mom walked out on us, I was 10 and Waves was 4. Our daddy didn’t cope too well. He was a shit before she left, and it got worse after she’d gone. Anyway, one night a couple of years later, this local gang came onto the homestead looking for daddy-he was the Sheriff, but he was dirty, and he had fucked up a deal he’d made apparently. Anyway, our older sister, Willa went out to try and reason with them, but they shot her in the head. So I grabbed daddy’s gun and went outside to try and scare them off, but I didn’t know what I was doing, and the gun’s safety wasn’t on, so it went off in my hand. Trouble was, I had come out the house pointing it at the gang holding our daddy, so when it went off, it hit daddy in the gut. He bled out in front of me and Waverly… The gang split, and Waverly and I watched him die in front of us before the paramedics got here’. Nicole stood stock still, looking at Wynonna. She was trying to piece together why a conversation about DIY had led to this revelation. Wynonna stepped to the fridge and pulled out a beer, offering Nicole one as well. Even though it was barely 11am, Nicole was tempted, but politely declined. Nicole wasn’t sure what to say, so decided on honesty.

‘What’s this got to do with DIY Wynonna?’ Wynonna looked Nicole in the eye for the first time that morning and held her gaze.

‘I don’t want Waverly to leave. I have spent fifteen years running away from this place, and I’m just starting to feel like I should be here-just as Waverly is about to graduate and actually make something of herself. And I just thought if I fix this place up a bit, spend time trying to make it a home for her, then she might think twice about going’. Wynonna hadn’t said any of this out loud to anyone, and the vulnerability it caused was astounding. Nicole took a moment to compose her thoughts before answering her friend.

‘I’ll do whatever you need-but you HELP me Wynonna. And I don’t mean you pass me tools and criticize my clothing, I mean you are on the roof with me. Got it?’ Wynonna’s lips ever so slightly curled up to a smile, which was quickly replaced with a look of indifference

‘Fine’ the brunette simply said. Nicole didn’t want to just leave it there, she has a need inside her to stop people from hurting, but aside from forcing Wynonna into a hug, she didn’t really know what to do. So she decided to bite the bullet and do it anyway. She strode over to Wynonna, and pulled her into a tight embrace. Wynonna didn’t break away, nor did she reciprocate. She stood stock still and allowed Nicole to tighten her arms around her.

‘Hug me back douche bag’ Nicole said over Wynonna’s right shoulder

‘I feel uncomfortable’

‘I don’t give a shit, I’m stronger than you, and I’ll stay here until you hug me back’

‘You wouldn’t’

‘Don’t push me Earp’. So Wynonna sighed heavily once again and put her arms round Nicole. They stood for only a moment before Nicole pulled away and looked Wynonna in the eye

‘You are the strongest person I know, and it’s an honour to have you on my side-you hear me Earp. And I’m not just saying this because of your sister okay? If that stopped tomorrow, you would still be one of my people okay?’ Wynonna didn’t respond, simple nodded her head and avoided eye contact once again.

‘Good, now I’m going to grab a ladder, then you and I are gonna to take a look at this roof. You have a ladder right?’

‘Barn I think’ Wynonna replied. Nicole turned on her heel and walked towards the barn. Wynonna followed her out on to the porch and watched the red head march towards the disused barn. She had an overwhelming feeling towards the woman. She hadn’t felt like this towards another person other than Waverly and Dolls, and Wynonna realised that she was going to do everything she could to keep this woman in her life. Nicole Haught had suddenly become family to Wynonna Earp, and the one thing Wynonna did fiercely, was protect her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love guys, really kind comments coming my way and I really appreciate it


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep the faith guys, they both need this to happen...

Chapter four

Wynonna and Nicole spent a good part of the day up on the roof-Nicole had made sure the ladder was tied off, so it couldn’t fall and leave them stranded up there, and give Wynonna her due, she stayed interested and helpful until around 4pm. As Nicole was heading into a night shift the following night, she decided to call it a day, so she could go home, relax for the night and spend some time with Calamity before she disappeared to work for nearly a fortnight. The red head said goodbye to the oldest Earp, and headed home. She didn’t want to admit that the thought of Waverly leaving left her with a sense of foreboding. This was light and casual right? She has JUST started a new job, and she wasn’t even divorced yet, so she needed to keep reminding herself that light and casual was good for BOTH of them.

Nicole got home and ran a bath to try and ease some of her aches and pains she has accumulated after a day of hard grafting. She cooked some food and was planning a Grey’s Anatomy marathon when her phone rang. Seeing Shae’s number come up on her cell made her smile-it had been a while since they had caught up, and their divorce was hurtling towards finality

‘Hey Shae, how’s it going?’ Nicole asked. She genuinely wanted to know how her friend was.

‘Hey Cole, good to hear your voice, how’s the middle of nowhere treating you?’ Nicole laughed- Shae had NO idea…

‘What’s that laugh for?’ Shae enquired. She knew Nicole better than most and knew immediately she was seeing someone. And she honestly didn’t mind. She wanted her ex to be happy.

‘Can’t you just be funny?’ Nicole asked

‘I’m never funny Cole, it’s one of the things you hated about me’

‘Hate is a strong word…’ Nicole retorted

‘HA! You and I both know you need someone to make you laugh-and that’s not me!! So what gives? What’s her name?’ Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh-the problem with marrying one of your friends is they know you infinitely better than you think. Nicole spent the next ten minutes filling Shae in on her new life in Purgatory-including Waverly Earp. Shae sucked her breath in at the mention of an ‘open relationship’ but stopped short of actually voicing her concerns. Nicole was a big girl, and if she wanted Shae’s opinion, she would ask for it. After they had caught up on each-other’s lives, Nicole finally brought up the divorce. It was the elephant in the room, and it was being finalised in the next two weeks.

‘Look, Jeremy and I were thinking of coming down to see you-sort of celebrate the divorce in style… What do you say? Jeremy misses you and I kind of feel like it wasn’t ALL bad was it?’

‘Do you know what, that sounds awesome’ Nicole declared. She missed her friends and her life in Toronto, so them coming to see her was the perfect tonic. ‘I am on nights for the next 13 days, then I’ve got three days off-how about you guys come down for that Sunday? I don’t have to be back at work until the Wednesday, so as long as I get Tuesday to myself to do life stuff…’

‘You mean Waverly Earp don’t you…’ Shae interrupted

‘No Shae, I do not-I mean washing, and cleaning and cooking… And maybe Waverly Earp too…’

‘Never lie to your wife Cole, it’ll always end badly’

‘Well lucky for me, you’re no longer going to hold that mantle in a week or so!’ She retorted, and then smiled as she heard Shae laugh heartily down the receiver.

They set the date, and Nicole promised to email over all the details that evening, so Shae and Jeremy could look into flights. She spent the rest of the evening how she had planned. She ate, watched Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd mess about in each-others love lives and snuggled up to Calamity Jane. As it was her first night shift tomorrow night, Nicole managed to stay up until 4am so as to try and get her body clock used to the shift in time zones. She and Waverly had text briefly just telling each other how much they had enjoyed each-others company and they made tentative plans for Nicole to swing by Shorty’s before her shift started tomorrow night so Waverly could make sure she’d eaten properly. 

 

When Waverly had got back from Calgary, she noticed the different panelling on the roof immediately. Throwing open the door to the jeep and jumping out, she took a closer look around the homestead and was taken aback with how much work had taken place whilst she had been out.

‘Wynonna?’ she called whilst walking through the front door. She found her older sister asleep on the couch. She crept up to her sister’s side and gently shook her shoulder. Wynonna woke with a start and Waverly instantly went into calming mode, shushing her sister and stroking her face. Since they were younger, Wynonna had suffered from nightmares (and who would be surprised) so waking her always had to be done gently.

‘Hey Nonna’ Waverly whispered and Wynonna got her bearings. She smiled slightly at the younger girl then started to sit up to make room for Waverly on the couch

‘How was your day baby girl?’ Wynonna enquired.

‘It was good-we got a lot of stuff done, which was great. I think I’m going to have to stay in the city over the next couple of weeks though as its going to start getting crazy busy before finals’

‘What about Nicole?’ Wynonna asked, not really sure where it had come from

‘What about Nicole? She’s on nights for like, two weeks, and it’s not like we’re exclusive or anything’ Waverly replied. Sometimes Wynonna despaired at how oblivious her little sister was.

‘Just… just promise me you’ll let her know before you disappear okay? I’m sure your right, but… just… you know, like out of respect...’ Wynonna sheepishly finished. She knew she was in no position to lecture, but Nicole Haught was special-and Wynonna could see it, even if Waverly was taking a bit longer to realise it. Waverly frowned and looked at her sister for a moment before promising to not just disappear. Waverly then got up and went about cooking dinner for them both. They chatted about Waverly’s course a bit more, although Wynonna admitted it went way over her head, and Wynonna filled Waverly in on her and Nicole fixing up the roof. There was still quite a bit to do on there, but it was definitely looking better than it was. Waverly wasn’t only impressed that Nicole helped, but that she managed to get Wynonna to also get involved. It was a feat indeed to get Wynonna to do any form of DIY and Waverly remembered she must thank the red head when she next saw her. 

Nicole managed to sleep until 2pm on the Tuesday afternoon. She woke up refreshed and delighted with the black-out blinds she had installed in her bedroom. Waking up in there was rather like waking up in the bat cave, and Nicole was thrilled to go into her first night shift raring to go, rather than sleep deprived. She got up and made herself a breakfast of bacon and eggs, and she then spent an hour with her weights and punch bag before heading for a long hot shower. She played with Calamity Jane for a while, and then headed out to the store to stock up on food for the next fortnight. She wasn’t one for ready meals, so she made a lasagne before changing into her uniform and heading out to Shorty’s for dinner with Waverly before her shift started.

Walking into Shorty’s at 6pm on a Tuesday night was a totally different experience to on a Saturday. There was a smattering of locals, but it was quiet, and she and Waverly had a chance to share a meal together. They chatted about their days, Waverly informing her she was planning to stay in the city a little bit over the next couple of weeks, and Nicole letting her know Jeremy and Shae were coming for a visit. As Nicole was about to leave for her shift, she leant down to kiss Waverly, but Waverly panicked and offered Nicole her cheek. Nicole paused next to the proffered cheek, and then quickly pecked it, before standing up straight and grabbing her hat. Waverly blushed, and wanted to explain, but Nicole simply shrugged it off and left to get to work.

Walking over to the station, Nicole cursed herself for putting Waverly in that position, and so decided she would text and apologise once the shift change had happened and she found herself alone at work. 

 

Waverly was wiping down the bar for what seemed like the sixtieth time that night when her phone pinged with a message

Nicole: Hey, sorry about earlier-I kind of forgot where I was! Won’t happen again xxx

Waverly smiled down at the message. She had already decided she was going to pop into the station after her shift to smooth this over. She hated that her reaction had been to turn away from Nicole, but it was proof enough that she needed time still to get her head around what was happening. She would go into the station and explain, and then maybe use the next couple of weeks to get her head around what it is she actually wants.

 

It was close to 2AM when Nicole heard the door to the station open and the sound of heels walking down the corridor and towards the bullpen. She was pleasantly surprised when Waverly headed round the corner and smiled at her whilst she approached the red heads desk.

‘Hey’ Nicole smiled as she turned her chair out from under her desk and pulled up another for Waverly to sit in ‘And to what do I owe the honour?’ She enquired. Waverly beamed down at the older woman as she got closer to her desk.

‘I wanted to apologise’ Waverly started ‘for earlier… I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened… I guess I just got…. Scared or something…’ She looked down at Nicole who was looking up at her with her soft brown eyes, and her dimples teasing her cheeks.

‘Hey, it’s okay Waves. You don’t want the world knowing your business, I get it-honestly, please don’t feel like you need to apologise’. Waverly looked around the empty station, and then positioned herself standing between Nicole’s legs. She bent down and kissed Nicole gently and rested their foreheads together

‘Thank you Nicole… And thank you for helping out Wynonna today at home-it’s going to make a real difference’

‘Not a problem Waves…’ Waverly leant in again and laid a chaste kiss on Nicole’s lips.

‘Look, I’m going to be away for the next ten days, but when I’m back, perhaps we can go for dinner… like in public and everything…’

‘Why Waverly Earp, are you suggesting we step out together where people can actually see us?!’ Nicole declared in a mock southern accent

‘I can revoke this offer you know…’

‘I would love to have dinner with you… I’ve got my friends in celebrating my divorce over that weekend, but how about the Tuesday? If you are off work of course…’

‘I’ll make sure I am… Okay, well I’m going to head home, I’m exhausted’ Waverly said as she leant down one last time and kissed Nicole. She then turned round and scurried off down the hall and back out into the cold. Nicole watched her go, lightly touching her lips where she could still feel Waverly against them. If Nicole was being honest, she was starting to get slightly frustrated with this situation. By all intents and purposes, they were certainly behaving like a couple. Nicole had to remind herself they had only known each other a month, and she didn’t want to admit how much she liked the petite brunette, and how much she was already looking forward to seeing her in a little under two weeks. 

 

Waverly threw herself into her finals. She stayed with her friend Sarah, who had an apartment close to campus. They studied non-stop, and when their final exam was done, they took themselves out for a well deserved night out. Waverly and Sarah headed to the local bar on campus and met up with the rest of their class there. There was drinking, and dancing, and more drinking, and more dancing, and then even more drinking. It wasn’t until the next morning, when she woke up in a strange bed, with a heavy arm around her did she realise quite what had happened. She sat up and looked down at the man next to her. She realised she was in Okezie Tadic’s bed-the guy she had gone out for dinner with a couple of weeks prior. She hadn’t intended for anything to happen, but as she started to remember the evening, she recalled him chatting her up, and her being flattered. She had never had a one night stand before, and was quickly out of the bed and in the bathroom changing before she could process what this meant. Her thoughts instantly went to Nicole. Sweet, kind, patient Nicole, who had listened to her when she said she needed space, and who had agreed to go on a date with her once she was back in Purgatory. Waverly washed her face, and dashed out of Okezie’s apartment. She felt sick as she walked back to Sarah’s to get her car-and she knew it wasn’t to do with the alcohol in her system. Waverly got to Sarah’s apartment and knocked on her friend’s door. She realised her phone had no battery, so wanted to grab her stuff, take a shower and charge her phone for half an hour before heading home to Wynonna, whom she desperately wanted to talk to. The door was flung open and Sarah threw her arms around Waverly

‘Thanks fucking GOD! Waverly, what the hell happened last night?’ Sarah asked whilst pulling the smaller woman into an embrace

‘I’m not quite sure… I woke up at Okezie’s-did I not tell you I was leaving?’ Waverly asked, looking for her charger in her bag and plugging it in.

‘NO! You just disappeared! I phoned Wynonna eventually as I thought you might have told her where you were… Are you okay…. Did Okezie…’

‘Oh god no, I’m fine, I’m fine… I mean, I’m horrifically hung over, and I feel like shit-but I was safe, and he was… fine… I just don’t know what came over me… I’m kind of seeing someone…’ Sarah looked at her friend and blinked. She had absolutely no idea Waverly was involved with someone, and was surprised they hadn’t discussed it.

‘What?! Who?!’ Sarah asked looking incredulously at her friend

‘A woman called Nicole back in Purgatory’ Waverly answered absentmindedly. She then realised something. She realised she didn’t give a shit who knew about her and Nicole-Nicole wasn’t someone to be hidden away or denied, she was someone who deserved to be celebrated, and shown off. Waverly needed to get home, and needed to see her. She needed to be honest to her, and about her. She checked her phone and saw Wynonna had left 28 missed calls. The voicemails had started calm, and had then turned to angry, before settling on completely panicked. Waverly excused herself from Sarah’s company and phoned her sister. It was picked up in what felt like less than one ring

‘Baby girl you better have a damn good excuse as to why you went AWOL last night’ Wynonna said down the phone

‘I’m sorry Nonna, I got drunk and ended up staying with someone… Are you at home?’

‘No I’m at work, why, you okay?’

‘Yeah, I just thought I’d swing by and see you-I’ll bring coffee shall I?’

‘Sure, Dolls and I are just catching up on paperwork, so come whenever you want’

‘Okay, I’ll be about an hour or so… Hey Nonna, Is Nicole at the station?’

‘I don’t think so-her shift finished an hour ago I think, so she’s probably at home’

‘Okay, great-I’ll see you in a bit, and Nonna… I’m sorry I scared you’

‘No problem, just glad you’re okay’. The sisters hung up, and Waverly went back to talk to Sarah, before grabbing a quick shower and heading back to Purgatory.

 

Waverly pulled up outside the police station and did a look around to see if she could see any signs that Nicole was inside. She didn’t know why she was bothering, as her shift would have ended a couple of hours ago at least now, and it was her last day on nights. Waverly was pretty sure Nicole’s friends from Toronto were here for a couple of days. She skulked into the station and was about to scurry down the hall towards Wynonna and Dolls’ office when she heard Wynonna call her name from the break room. Waverly headed towards her sisters voice and stopped in the door way.

‘You wanna explain to me what the hell happened?’ The older Earp started immediately.

‘Nonna, please, don’t start’ Waverly replied ‘I am hungover and tired, and ashamed of myself okay, I need you to just give me a break’

‘Ashamed? Why?’ Her sister asked, not breaking eye contact

‘I slept with Okezie Tadic last night’ Waverly said simply.

‘What?!’ Wynonna asked incredulously

‘I know, I know okay, I’m not feeling too great about this whole thing…’

‘No it’s not okay! What the hell do you think you’re doing? What about Nicole?’ Wynonna exploded

‘Hey, calm down! Nicole and I aren’t exclusive and I’m my own fucking woman, so don’t even think about slut shaming me’

‘I’m not slut shaming you for god sake’ The phone in the break room started to ring, and both girls ignored it as they continued their battle. The station was quiet and the Earp’s were always left to fight it out between them whenever there was an argument occurring.

‘I’m just… Jesus Waves, why did you have to fuck him?’

‘Look, I’m not proud of it, but this… this reaction is bullshit-I’m a grown woman for god sake and if I want to wake up in someone’s bed than I will, and I certainly don’t need you judging me for it’. As Waverly finished her sentence, Nicole walked past her to answer the phone in the break room. Both Earp’s stood stock still, staring at each other whilst Nicole continued on the phone with her back to the sisters. She finished the call, and walked to the fridge to grab a bottle of water, before turning to Wynonna and saying

‘There’s a fight happening at Pussy Willows-think it might have something to do with that guy you’ve been tracking. I’m heading there now, I’ll let you know’

‘Nicole…’ Waverly started, but Nicole held up her finger to stop the smaller woman.

‘I have to go’. And with that, the red head marched passed them both and out to her cruiser.

‘FUCK’ Waverly shouted in frustration as she watched the doors to the station close behind Nicole. She had planned to tell Nicole everything, but not like this. Not without her being able to explain. Waverly looked towards her sister with tears starting to form in her eyes

‘What the hell am I going to do Nonna?’

‘I have no idea baby girl’ Wynonna replied.

Nicole wasn’t sure how she had gotten to the strip club Pussy Willow’s, but she got out of the car and headed for the entrance, making sure her gun was within easy reach. By the time the police officer had got there, the fight was in full flow, and she immediately went to stop a bearded man from throwing a stool across the bar. She managed to get his hand behind his back and cuff him, before dragging him out to the waiting police van. She grabbed another set of cuffs and headed back into the bar to continue to try and help her colleagues pull apart the fighting men. Nicole saw stupid Carl out of the corner of her eye heading for a biker almost twice his size, so she ducked her way towards the men and was about to intervene when stupid Carl lunged forward, missed his footing, and punched Nicole in the face.

‘Son of a bitch’ Nicole let out through gritted teeth, as she grabbed Carl and pulled him out to the van. The paramedic’s had arrived by now, along with more back up, so Nicole was forced to get seen by one of the EMT’s, just to check she hadn’t broken her jaw.

With a clean bill of health, and a large bruise forming on her right eye, Nicole got back into her squad car. She looked at herself in the mirror. ‘Outstanding day’ she said to herself whilst putting the car into drive and heading back to the station to fill out a report before finally getting home and going to bed. She had agreed to cover the morning shift for Lonnie so she could come in a bit later for day shift on Wednesday, having hoped she would be waking up on that Wednesday morning with Waverly Earp. As she drove back into town, she found herself recalling what she had overheard in the break room between Waverly and Wynonna. Waverly was right, they weren’t exclusive, and it’s not like she hadn’t woken up in a strangers bed after a heavy night of drinking. Her heart felt heavy, and she knew she needed to talk to the youngest Earp. She thought she was okay with casual, but truth was, she wasn’t. She hated the thought of Waverly being with someone else, and she could no longer put herself into a position where she felt like this. What had surprised her was how incensed Wynonna was about the whole thing. Nicole knew how much Wynonna liked her, and she felt protected by the oldest Earp-even from her little sister. Nicole felt such an affinity to the brunette, but the last thing she wanted was to cause a rift between the sisters. 

Waverly felt like shit. There was no getting away from it. She had fucked up royally, and she had no idea how to fix it. Talking would be her first choice, but whilst Nicole was at work, there was no way she could approach her. She decided to head to Nicole’s house and wait for her there. If Nicole wouldn’t talk to her, then she would try again tomorrow. She couldn’t leave it how it was and was determined to get this sorted out. She drove to the modest house and saw Nicole’s cruiser parked outside, so she at least knew Nicole was there. Waverly walked up the steps on the porch and knocked on the door. Nicole had been on nights, so it was a tentative knock so as not to wake her if she was sleeping. Nicole answered the door wearing some sweats, a baggy hoodie and her glasses. Waverly tried not to react to the way she looked, but she couldn’t help it-Nicole looked great. Waverly then noticed Nicole’s black eye

‘Oh my god Nicole what the hell happened?’ She asked, as she reached out her hand and stroked the bruise without even thinking about it

‘Stupid Carl missed his step and I got caught in the cross fire’ Nicole replied. She looked Waverly in the eyes and smiled slightly.

‘Hi’ Waverly began

‘Hi’ Nicole replied. She was tired, and despite not really having any right to be, she was angry. But she couldn’t figure out if she was angry at Waverly or herself. If she was honest, it was both in equal measure.

‘Can I come in?’ Waverly asked

‘Of course’ the red head said whilst opening the door further to let Waverly in. ‘Would you like tea?’ Nicole asked whilst walking into the kitchen and flicking the kettle on.

‘No thank you, I just… I just wanted to… apologise… explain…. God I don’t know… grovel…’

‘There’s no need, like you said, we’re not exclusive’ Nicole shrugged

‘Nicole…’ Waverly starts ‘Nicole, I am so, so sorry you found out like that-I was going to tell you... But Wynonna was so pissed and I didn’t know you were at the station-It wasn’t fair for you to find out like that’

‘What exactly did I find out Waverly? That you fucked someone once? Or that you’re regularly fucking someone else-other than me that is’

‘That’s not fair Nicole…’

‘HA! Okay, sure, I’m the one that’s unfair… Jesus Waverly….’ Nicole shook her head and stopped herself from saying anything else. She knew deep down she wasn’t being fair, but she was tired, she was pissed off and her face hurt. Nicole took a deep breath before continuing. ‘Look, I’m sorry. I’ve just worked 18 hours straight, my face hurts and I’ve got friends arriving in 6 hours. I need to sleep and I need to get ready for them. We will talk, but just…. Just let me get these next two days out of the way first’. Waverly wasn’t surprised by Nicole’s reaction-if anything, she felt like she’d got off lightly. Had it been the other way round, she’s almost certain Waverly wouldn’t be quite so understanding

‘Whatever you need Nicole’ Waverly said before heading to the door.

‘Oh and hey Waves… congratulations on getting through your finals’. Waverly turned back to look at the taller woman. Her kindness was beyond anything Waverly had ever experienced, and it made Waverly feel even worse. She didn’t deserve Nicole, and that had become abundantly clear. Waverly wiped away a tear and looked Nicole in the eye

‘Thank you Nicole… Have a great weekend with your friends-I hope they like Purgatory’.


	5. Chapter five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've added an extra chapter as I wanted to get something posted-I'm off on my honeymoon tomorrow so won't be uploading for at least three weeks, but I figured you'd rather have what I've written already then wait a month for me to finish...

Chapter five

Wynonna was uncharacteristically up in the attic when Waverly got home. The younger woman didn’t know what had gotten into her sister over the last couple of weeks, but it hadn’t escaped her notice that the homestead had a new roof, the barn was looking decidedly less cluttered, and paint samples had started to adorn various walls around the tired looking house. Waverly had always wanted to make this house more of a home, but her sisters new found drive for DIY was nothing if not disconcerting. Waverly was heading upstairs calling Wynonna’s name, when Wynonna’s head poked out of the attic hatch door.

‘How you doing baby girl?’ the older woman asked whilst looking upside down at her sister

‘Awful’

‘That good huh?’

‘Oh god Nonna, why do I have this incessant need to fuck everything up?’

‘Oh baby girl that’s not true… What did she say?’

‘She said she needs to concentrate on her friends, then we’ll talk…’

‘Well that seems fair…’ Wynonna didn’t really know what else to say. She understood Waverly’s point of view-her and Nicole weren’t exclusive, and so by design that means Waverly can do whatever she wants-but anyone that had seen Nicole Haught looking at Waverly Earp could see that there was more going on for the red head. Beth Gardner had been consistently pestering Nicole for a date, and Nicole had been consistently turning her down-you didn’t have to be a genius to see why. But then again, Waverly had spent her whole life being told she wasn’t worth a dime, so it was little wonder she didn’t have the first clue when a decent person came along and showed an interest. Wynonna hated the connotations their surname came with. She hated her daddy was a lousy sheriff and an even lousier father, and his actions had caused irreparable damage to his daughters. Wynonna always understood the looks she got and the whispers their neighbours muttered, but Waverly didn’t deserve them. She didn’t deserve any of it, and it broke Wynonna’s heart that even in death, their daddy still had a hold over them.

‘Wanna help me in up here? I have whisky….’ Wynonna asked whilst swinging a bottle out of the hatch in front of Waverly’s eyes.

‘What is it you’re doing up there?’ Waverly queried as she made her way up the ladder to join her sister. She hadn’t been up in the attic since they moved back to the homestead, so everything up there would be left over from Ward Earp’s time at the house.

‘I’m clearing it to make some room for insulation. Red and I have been trying to figure out why it’s so damn draughty in this god damn house, and Haughtsauce figured if we fixed the roof and insulated the attic, it’ll go some way to keep the draughts out. Apparently some girl she’s mad about feels the cold’

‘Is that so?’ Waverly asked drily ‘and you’re… you’re helping?!’ she continued, looking around at the chaotic mess in front of her-if Wynonna was handy around the house, it’s the first Waverly has ever heard of it

‘Well, she said I had to clear the attic by Wednesday morning so she can get up there and start laying down this insulating stuff-looks like yellow candy floss, but its itchy as hell, so for god sake don’t lie on it…’

‘Got it. Right okay, so… tell me what needs doing…’

The sisters worked together to clear one side of the attic, throwing anything they didn’t want either into the bin bags already in the loft, or through the hatch and down onto the hallway floor. They kept the chat to a minimum, Wynonna figuring if Waverly wanted to talk, she knew she had a listener in her older sister. If Wynonna was honest with herself, she probably wouldn’t have gotten caught up with doing this all today-but if she knew one thing, it was her sister needed a distraction. Waverly was meticulous in her clearing. If anything, she was a lot more brutal than Wynonna would have been on her own. Where other families might have been distracted with the photo albums and memorabilia often found living at the top of the house, Waverly, simply, had no time for it. She didn’t really remember Michelle, their mother, and Ward had been an absolute bastard, so why would anyone want to keep anything of his. Wynonna could see the logic, but secretly rescued a couple of photo albums from their childhood to store under her bed. She remembered their mother more than Waverly, and whilst she could understand why she had left-it didn’t mean Wynonna forgave her.

By late afternoon, both sisters had a sense of accomplishment and an attic cleared of crap. Now all they had to do was load up the unwanted hoard into the bed of Wynonna’s truck and get the stuff that couldn’t be burned down to the dump before sunset. They piled it up in relative silence and got into the truck to finish off their task.

‘How are you feeling?’ Wynonna eventually asked. She loved her sister, and hated to think she was suffering needlessly. Whether Nicole liked it or not, they WERE in an open relationship-if Nicole didn’t like that, then Nicole should have said so-she is a grown up after all… Waverly smiled towards her older sister and took a deep breath

‘I’m okay… I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think what happened has helped our relationship moving forward-but it’s certainly helped me put things into perspective… I want Nicole, there’s no escaping that-but we haven’t had that conversation yet, and I actually have no idea what Nicole wants… I know she likes me, but I also know she has been non-committal and she practically pushed me into a date with Okezie a couple of weeks ago… even if she didn’t mean it, I’m not a fucking mind reader, and I need her guidance too-if we’re to have a relationship, then it needs to be a level pegging you know?...’. Wynonna did know-she totally got where Waverly was coming from-even if she did think it was a cop out-she couldn’t deny that Waverly was right.

They unloaded the unwanted stuff from Wynonna’s truck. There were a couple of things Wynonna wasn’t sure about, but Waverly was adamant-the Earp sisters needed to move forward, and stop living in the past-and more importantly, stop apologising for what had come before them.

Wynonna and Waverly only came to rest once they had cleared the rest of the debris from upstairs and added it to the pile already forming a bonfire outside. There was the rotten roofing Nicole and Wynonna had replaced, and some manky floorboards from the attic that Dolls and Wynonna had ripped up a couple of days before hand. Standing back, admiring all the hard work they had done with a sense of achievement, Wynonna pulled Waverly in for a tight hug, and kissed the top of her head. Waverly was the tactile one in the Earp relationship, and she was taken aback by the uncharacteristic show of affection from her older sister

‘Hug me back douchebag’ Wynonna simply stated, and Waverly did. She put her arms around her older sister, and hugged her so hard that Wynonna wasn’t entirely sure the younger woman was ever going to let her go. 

 

Nicole was drunk. There was no getting away from it, she was sitting on her sofa, drinking whisky and eating cold pizza straight out of the box, whilst listening to Jeremy bleat on about some guy called Perry he’s met in Toronto, and she was drunk. She could hold her liquor and she rarely let herself get into this sort of inebriated state, but ‘fuck it’ she thought. It’s not every day your friends come and stay, it’s not every day your divorce is finalised and it’s not every day you get punched in the face by stupid Carl. Shae and Jeremy had arrived right on schedule. They had had a quick stroll through the town, just to stretch their legs and see where Nicole worked, then stopped to pick up some alcohol and all headed back to Nicole’s little house on the outskirts of town. Jeremy was a photographer and so he snapped a couple of landscape shots whilst the sun was starting to set, but had agreed for this evening the camera was put away and the three of them would have an evening of drunken debauchery. And it was just what the redhead needed. She couldn’t deny the fact she was still feeling a little bruised by Waverly’s one night stand, and whilst she didn’t want to talk about it, it would seem she couldn’t help but think about it.

‘Okay, we’ve discussed Perry, my residency, your work, your friends and our colleagues-but something is missing Haught… what gives with you and Waverly?’ Shae eventually asked, whilst swilling her vodka round the glass. Nicole sighed heavily and looked between the two friends. She knew they would come to this at some point, so might as well get it out in the open

‘I’m taking some time’

‘Why?’ Jeremy asked quizzically. He was nothing if not direct. Shae said nothing, just waited for the taller woman to open up to them.

‘She… well… we’re in a sort of casual relationship, and I thought that was just what we were calling it, because, well for one, options around here are limited, and two, I didn’t think she really needed anything else you know, I mean… you know… it works pretty well between us… but turns out… she’s taking the term literally, and well I overheard her and Wynonna arguing this morning about some guy Waverly fucked last night…’ Nicole took a swig of her whisky, completely aware she doesn’t need any more. Jeremy frowned at this information

‘And you’re annoyed?’ he asked

‘Well…. Yeah actually I am. I’m really fucking annoyed’

‘Why?’

‘What do you mean why?’ Nicole replied, looking at her friend. Shae remained quiet and just watched the interaction between the two

‘Well… why are you annoyed? It’s a casual relationship right?’

‘…yeah…’

‘And neither you or her have put enough of an emphasis on how you’re actually feeling to make it appear more than that?’

‘Well we’ve spent a large part of our time showing each other how much we like each other’ Nicole replied flippantly

‘That may be so, but Cole, have you actually said I like you and whilst I get you’re seeing other people, I’m not going to’ Jeremy asked bluntly. Nicole shook her head

‘So I’m asking you, why are you annoyed?’

‘….because… well… I can’t put it into words…’ Nicole eventually trailed off. She looked like a wounded puppy, and whilst that look might have worked on Shae two years ago, it held very little weight now

‘She’s annoyed because her pride is hurt.’ Shae stated simply

‘That’s not true!’ Nicole fired back indignantly

‘It is true Cole. You know it is. You are so cocky, and sure of yourself, that you were convinced you wouldn’t have to work too hard to get this girl to fall head over feet for you. And she’s called your bluff, and you don’t like it’. Nicole started to protest, but Shae raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.

‘I hate you’ she said as she smiled at her friend. Shae returned the smile warmly then put her arm around the taller woman and pulled her into her side.

‘I know you do, you hate that you like me so much, and that I know you so well’. Jeremy started laughing, and then so did Nicole. Shae was absolutely right. Nicole’s pride was wounded, and she didn’t cope well with that. She didn’t like to admit it, but Nicole could be a proud woman, and she was annoyed that Waverly looked elsewhere, even though she also knows Waverly has every right to do so. Nope, she has to suck this up, and apologise. Regardless of whether she likes it or not, Waverly shouldn’t be made to feel ashamed for her actions-everyone’s done it (ironically, apart from Waverly) and everyone is entitled to be who they want to be if there is no commitment elsewhere.

‘I’m going to text her…’ Nicole started as she crawled to her bag by the door

‘No no no no no….’ both Jeremy and Shae said as they started to wrestle their friend back into her seat

‘Cole, if this girl is it, then you do this right, and properly. No drunk texts, no misguided phone calls-honesty, like the grown up you are okay?’ Shae reasoned. Once again, forcing Nicole to admit how much she loved her friend.

‘Fine, but only because you’re my ex wife’ Nicole retorted

‘I’ll drink to that!’ Jeremy chorused as he raised his glass and polished off his Malibu and pineapple.

Waverly and Wynonna were just heading into Shorty’s on Monday afternoon when they bumped into Nicole and her friends. There were introductions, and some awkward shuffling from the lovers before Wynonna rolled her eyes and dragged everyone in to the bar for a couple of drinks. Gus was behind the bar, and as it was only mid-afternoon at the start of the week, they pretty much had the run of the place. Gus shooed Waverly away when she offered to help, and Nicole could have sworn Jeremy, Wynonna and Shae were conspiring against her when they disappeared to the jukebox leaving Waverly and herself to order and carry the drinks.

‘So… that’s your wife?’ Waverly eventually said.

‘Yep… well, ex wife as of yesterday afternoon… look Waves… I’m sorry… I behaved badly and I…’

‘You didn’t Nicole, you had every right to be… I don’t know… annoyed? Hurt? Pissed off? Or whatever you were… I would have been too-especially finding out like that…’

‘No Waverly, I had no right at all. We have both been clear on our intentions-light and casual is what we both agreed we wanted, and I’m sorry I took my tiredness and bad mood on you-it was totally unfair’. Waverly looked the red head in the eye for the first time that afternoon, and smiled slightly, relief washing over her. She agreed with everything Nicole said, and whilst she wanted to enter into an exclusive relationship with the officer, she was still no clearer as to what Nicole herself wanted. Waverly knew she needed to bite the bullet, and put herself out there, but her nerves got the better of her in that moment, and before she knew it, Gus was back with their drinks and Nicole was paying for them all. Before she grabbed the second tray of drinks, Waverly gently laid her hand on Nicole’s arm to stop her from moving away

‘So… we’re…’ Waverly started

‘We’re all good Waves’ Nicole said. And she meant it. What Shae had said last night had hit home to Nicole. If she wasn’t prepared to tell Waverly she was all in, then she has no right to be upset.

The ladies made their way back to the group and dished out the various drinks. Wynonna was talking animatedly to Shae about what Nicole was like as a wife, and Jeremy was looking at the Wild West memorabilia adorning the walls. Nicole made a bee line for Shae and the eldest Earp. She knew Wynonna well enough to know leaving someone from her past with the brunette would only end with Nicole’s embarrassment and Wynonna’s delight. Waverly took Jeremy’s drink to him and started talking him through what he was looking at. Their afternoon was a relaxed affair, which was spent laughing at stories Shae and Jeremy shared about Nicole’s time in Toronto and getting to know the new people in town. Waverly liked Shae a lot. She had an obvious care for Nicole, but Waverly was surprised she didn’t feel threatened by the doctor. She had prepared herself to feel inadequate, but Shae had the exact opposite effect on the young Earp-she made her feel welcomed into the friendship group, and seemed to be encouraging of the relationship between Nicole and Waverly-whatever that may be.

By the late afternoon everyone was feeling pretty merry, and Wynonna thought it was only right the party continued at the homestead. Doll’s had joined them and had reluctantly agreed to drive everyone back so they can light the bonfire Wynonna and Nicole had built earlier in the week, and to which Waverly and Wynonna had added to yesterday. Whilst Nicole wanted to, she wanted to check with her friends before agreeing-Nicole knew full well that if they all piled back to the Homestead, it was going to carry on well into the night, and she wanted to check her guests were happy for that to be the case. Jeremy had seen some photo’s on the wall at Shorty’s of the Homestead and its surroundings, and was keen to see the landscape for himself. He always carried his camera, and had been surreptitiously snapping away all afternoon. As proved from the photo on Nicole’s wall, he preferred candid shots of people, but sometimes the best photographs of people were when they were surrounded by breath taking scenery. Shae agreed that she was keen to see where the Earp’s lived. Wynonna was an intriguing woman, and had been talking to Shae about the renovations Nicole and her had been implementing, and Shae wanted to see this place for herself. As the Earp’s went to settle up their tab (Waverly forcing Wynonna to go with her) Nicole checked in with her friends

‘Guys, seriously, if you’d rather just go back to mine, we can-Wynonna won’t mind’

‘Cole, will you relax-I want to see where you live-and if those heart eyes are anything to go by, you’re going to be spending more and more time at this place-it’d be good for us to see it’ Shae responded first.

‘I…. I don’t have heart eyes…’ she replied indignantly. Jeremy laughed at his friend

‘Oh Cole, you have like, the BIGGEST heart eyes-but so does she, so you’re all good’ Jeremy laughed as he said it, and Shae soon joined in. Nicole blushed and smiled as she looked between her friends

‘I hate you both’

‘But you love us more’ Shae retorted as she slid from the booth and started to put her jacket on. Jeremy followed suit, and Nicole had no choice but to do the same. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time with the sisters, more that she didn’t want it to turn into a night of relentless teasing of the redhead.

As they all made their way outside, Doll’s pulled up in his SVU and the group piled into the back. Waverly and Jeremy taking the far back seats, and Shae and Nicole behind Dolls and Wynonna. The car was full of chattering and in no time at all they were all standing on the porch following Wynonna and Waverly into the house. Wynonna set about looking for the fire lighter’s and matches in order to get the bonfire started, and Dolls went off to find more chairs for people to use around the fire. Once the chairs were found, the fire was lit and the guests had settled, Nicole took it upon herself to get the drinks. She was just reaching for the glasses when she heard the tell-tale sound of the screen door slamming shut and cowboy boots stalking towards the kitchen. Nicole turned and smiled at Wynonna as she walked into the room.

‘Hey’ Nicole said as the brunette smiled

‘Hey…. You okay?’ Wynonna asked as she looked down at the floor. Nicole had noticed a hundred times that when Wynonna was being sincere, she looked anywhere but in the eyes of the person she was concerned about. She handed a beer to Nicole and reached into the fridge to get herself one. Nicole accepted it gratefully and leant against the counter

‘Yeah, I’m good… are you?’

‘Your wife is hot’

‘She is no longer my wife’ Nicole answered with a smile on her face. Wynonna clearly wanted to talk about something, and Nicole was happy to wait it out.

‘So… you’re not mad at Waves?’

‘Well, I thought I was, but friends with their perspectives can help you see the way sometimes you know?’

‘Well… she has her reasons…’

‘Wynonna, there’s really no…’

‘Let me finish, please’ Wynonna said, before putting down her bottle and looking Nicole in the eye ‘I love my sister like nothing else on earth, and I am responsible for a lot of the shit she’s had to endure, but I don’t know how much you know about Champ…’

‘Not an awful lot to be honest-I know she should have left him sooner than she did, but that’s about it’ Nicole replied, intrigued as to where this was going

‘Look, Waves will probably kill me for telling you, but Champ was a shit head to monumental proportions. She said he never physically hurt her, but mentally… mentally he did a number on her… He would tell her no one else would ever want her, he told her she was lucky to have him, that she’ll never be good enough… he was a bully…’

‘What the…’ Nicole didn’t know what to say. ‘Why the hell did she stay?’

‘Because Nic, she believed him. She was a pariah at school-we both were, but I left town and never looked back, Waverly… she stayed and it was hell on earth. And then this jock comes along and suddenly she’s socially accepted. People wanna know her because of him, and he makes damn sure he tells her that at every given opportunity… By the time I reappeared, it was too late, and whilst Gus and Curtis tried to make her see sense, she was a kid-she wanted to be popular, and liked… she just wouldn’t have a word said against him… so I know she is confusing, and I know it might seem like she’s playing you, but honestly Nicole, she wouldn’t know a good thing if it hit her in the face… so just… give her a bit of slack… please…’ Nicole took all the information in. She knew Champ was a bit of a prick, but this… this was on a whole other level. She looked at the brunette and tilted her head to the left

‘Okay… I get it… to be honest with you Wy, I was planning to tell her how I felt about her tomorrow when we went for dinner-I don’t mind if she wants to see other people, but I’m not going to… I… I don’t want this to be casual, I don’t want to share her, but, I also don’t want to put any pressure on her. She can decide what this is, and I’ll go along with it-because honestly Wynonna, I’ve never met anyone like her-and if she needs to take her time, she can-I’m not going anywhere, and I know she’s worth the wait’. Wynonna audibly exhaled. She smiled and looked at her friend. She knew she had been right about Nicole Haught.

‘If you hurt her, I know seventeen different ways to kill you and make it look like an accident’

‘Are you threatening an officer of the law?’

‘From where I’m standing, I’m threatening someone on my property whose planning to defile my sister later on this evening… and Nedley loves my sister, he would totally be on my side’

‘Well played’ Nicole said smiling.

The two women collected the drinks and headed back out to the group. Waverly watched Nicole and Wynonna laugh as they approached the others. She couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed how well they got on, and as they dished out the various drinks and Wynonna started shuffling the cards, Nicole caught Waverly’s eye and winked-causing the younger woman to blush and break out into a huge smile. The poker flowed and the conversation was as easy as it had been in the bar. The bonfire lit quickly, and everyone settled in for an evening of banter and drinking. Nicole looked around her friends and relished that her two worlds seemed to get on so well. She loved her life in Toronto, but this had clearly been the right decision.

It was getting late when Waverly suggested she make hot toddy’s for everyone. She disappeared into the house and collected the ingredients she needed. There was never a short supply of whisky at the homestead, but Waverly had hidden the good stuff on the top shelf of one of the kitchen cabinets, she was reaching up to get it when she felt two arms settle either side of the kitchen surface she was leaning against.

‘Well hello there…’ She said as she paused mid reach. She felt a kiss upon her neck and felt Nicole’s lips ghost up to her ear lobe

‘Hey…’ Nicole whispered, whilst inhaling into Waverly’s neck ‘you smell delicious’. Waverly shivered at the contact and leant back against the taller woman.

‘Do I indeed?’ Waverly teased as she pushed herself back into Nicole.

‘Mmhmm’ the taller woman confirmed as she moved to the other side of Waverly’s neck and continued to lay soft kisses upon the brunette.

‘Are you staying tonight?’

‘Would you like me to?’ Nicole enquired. She had already assumed they would all be invited to stay as Wynonna rarely let a party finish much before dawn-although no one seemed to have thought about sleeping arrangements.

‘God yes’ was the reply that came out of Waverly’s lips barely above a whisper. As Nicole pushed Waverly fully up against the counter and started to make patterns along the front of Waverly’s abdomen with her fingers. Waverly took a deep breath as she turned around in the redheads arms and looked up at her. Nicole’s eyes were as soft as always, and if Wynonna hadn’t barged in at that moment, Waverly would have told Nicole exactly how she felt, but as she had come to learn with Wynonna, timing was everything.

‘Dolls has driven home, something about getting up early in the morning and hunting down stupid Carl who missed a court date this afternoon. Jezza is on the sofa, and your hot wife is in with me. You’re welcome.’ Wynonna swung round and headed into her room before either Waverly or Nicole had a chance to protest.

‘Kinda wish she wouldn’t refer to her as your hot wife’

‘Me too babe, me too’


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, sorry its taken so long!!
> 
> Have stopped saying how long this fanfic is going to be as I keep changing my mind! However, chapters will be less frequent as I'm back at work and real life is getting in the way a bit! But I will be updating hopefully next week-bear with me once again, and thanks for your patience and lovely comments!!

Chapter six

Waverly pushed Nicole up against her bedroom door and kissed her passionately. Nicole responded by pulling Waverly’s body closer to her own and moaning into the kiss. It felt frantic and full of need, and before Nicole had a chance to register what was happening, Waverly had pulled her further into her room and pushed her up against her dressing table so she was sitting and Waverly was in between her legs. Waverly started to move her kisses to Nicole’s neck whilst her hands worked on her belt. Nicole moved her hands into Waverly’s hair and pulled her back up to her lips, kissing her deeply and moaning louder. Waverly pulled back and looked Nicole in the eye then slowly moved to just below Nicole’s ear

‘You’re going to have to keep it down Officer, we have guests this evening’ Waverly whispered. This just solicited another moan from the redhead. Waverly started to encourage Nicole to lift her body up, so the smaller woman could take off the red heads jeans. Nicole was usually the one in control when it came to sex, but not for the first time, she found herself being dictated to. She happily obliged and lifted herself up to enable her trousers to be pulled free. Waverly wasted no time in pulling the offending items off the taller woman’s legs and pushing her back down onto her dresser. Waverly’s hands started to stroke Nicole’s sides, causing the older woman to shiver, and as Nicole took off Waverly’s top, the brunette discarded her shirt and bra and was making her way towards the pale pink nipples awaiting her. As Waverly took a nipple into her mouth, she also found Nicole’s centre and felt how wet she was with her fingers

‘Fuuuuuck Waverly’ Nicole whispered as she felt the smaller woman tease her entrance. Waverly lifted her head and looked Nicole in the eye as she smiled and said ‘I’ve missed you baby’. She then plunged two fingers into Nicole and curled her fingers. Nicole pulled Waverly further into her and bit down on her shoulder to stop her from screaming out in pleasure. Waverly worked her fingers slowly in and out of Nicole as she concentrated on kissing the redheads neck and whispering how good Nicole felt. Nicole tried to steady her breathing and keep from shouting out, but she was louder than she perhaps should have been, and once again, Waverly was kissing her to keep her quiet. Nicole’s fingers skimmed down Waverly’s stomach, passed her underwear, through neat curls and started to circle Waverly’s clit in the same rhythm Waverly had set. It wasn’t long before Nicole could feel herself on the edge of orgasm, Waverly’s breaths were laboured as she whispered ‘Fuck Nicole... you feel incredible’. Nicole started to contract around Waverly’s fingers.

‘Let go for me baby, I’m... fuck Nic I’m ready...’ Waverly whispered and then she started to come as she felt the older woman continue to contract around her fingers. They started kissing as they moaned into one another and as both women orgasmed at the same time, they clung onto each other with a new found intensity. As Waverly’s hand stilled, Nicole pulled her tighter into the embrace and held her as her body gave a tremor. The women stayed in that position with Waverly peppering soft kisses over Nicole’s jaw and collarbones

‘Fuck baby... that was... fuck Waves...’ was all Nicole could muster before Waverly laughed lightly and kissed both Nicole’s eyes. The smaller woman then pulled out of the redhead slowly, and hummed contentedly into Nicole’s ear as she whispered

‘You felt fucking incredible... I love making you lose control for me’. Nicole pulled back and looked Waverly in the eye

‘It’s all for you baby’ she said with a hint of a smile. Waverly leant up and kissed Nicole slowly. She then took the taller woman’s hands in both of hers and walked backwards towards the bed. As they fell onto the mattress, Nicole pulled Waverly in to her. Waverly sighed contentedly and curled around the redhead. Nicole started to stroke Waverly’s back and before either of them knew it, they were falling asleep wrapped around each other.

The morning sun streamed through the windows of the homestead. Waverly woke first, and snuggled into Nicole’s side. Nicole, rousing from sleep, woke and pulled Waverly closer into her

‘Good morning’ Waverly said as she smiled up at Nicole. ‘Did you sleep?’ She asked, hoping that her companion had done so

‘I did yeah...’ Nicole said through a yawn ‘did you?’

‘Yeah, very well thank you... so... what are your plans for the day?’ Waverly asked. She had hoped Nicole would still want to have dinner tonight-they had a lot to discuss, and Waverly was desperate to let Nicole know she was all in. She had wanted to say something last night, but didn’t want Nicole thinking it was the whisky talking-and this morning wasn’t the time. Wynonna was downstairs, let alone Nicole’s friends and one time wife. No, Waverly decided that this conversation could wait until tonight. She was brought back from her thoughts by Nicole’s voice explaining what she was planning to do with her friends today

‘I thought we’d all go to the diner for breakfast if you fancied joining us? Then I thought I’d take them up to the creek to take in the view over the town... what do you think?’ Nicole asked tentatively.

‘I think that sounds perfect-but I think you guys should breakfast without us. Spend time with your friends Nic, and we’ll see each other tonight... that is, if you still want to have dinner?’ Waverly asked. Nicole smiled and pulled Waverly in for a kiss, which lingered longer than she had anticipated.

‘Of course we’re still on-I’m looking forward to it... but is it... I mean... am I dressing for a casual dinner with a friend? Or... like a date?’ Waverly’s brows furrowed slightly as she listened to Nicole ramble, but as the redhead finished and finally looked up to meet Waverly’s eyes, she broke out into an enormous grin that overtook her entire face

‘You’re adorable. And it is 100% a date. Like full out, dressed up, picking you up from your house and taking you out kind of date’ Waverly said as she leant down and kissed Nicole softly ‘I’m expecting you in a dress, I’m expecting you to be witty, and I am expecting to drop you home afterwards’ Nicole relaxed into Waverly’s touch and managed to look casually happy as supposed to completely elated (which is how she was ACTUALLY feeling). Nicole knew that tonight she was going to tell Waverly exactly how she was feeling-and for the first time in a while, she didn’t feel nervous about it. It felt like Waverly was finally on the same page as her, and the optimism was palpable

‘I guess we better get up. Wynonna will be up soon, and I’m guessing Jeremy and Shae will want to spend some proper time with you before they head off...’

‘Yeah, you’re right’ Nicole conceded. ‘But let’s shower first-I’m not quite ready for you to put clothes on just yet’ she continued. Waverly once again took Nicole’s face in her hands and kissed her gently. There was an anticipation for tonight that both women were feeling-an energy they were both playing off, and it felt like neither woman could wait to finally figure out what they were to one another. As the water hit them, Nicole took Waverly into her arms and pushed her against the bathroom wall. Waverly lifted her right leg up onto the top of the bath opposite to allow easier access for Nicole, and as the water lashed down upon the lovers, they were completely oblivious to Nicole’s phone frantically ringing in the next room.

The women were disturbed at a very inconvenient time by a banging on the door by Wynonna.

‘Go away Wynonna!’ Waverly hollered from the bathroom. She could hear Wynonna say something in response, but couldn’t make out what it was, and she was so close to orgasming all over Nicole’s face that she wasn’t really listening. But Wynonna was relentless and Waverly was aghast when she heard the door open and her older sister entered the bathroom.

‘WYNONNA!! What the fuck are you doing?!!’ Waverly asked incredulously, her head peaking out from behind the shower curtain.

‘Sorry baby girl-is Nicole in here?’

Waverly blinked at her older sister and the complete lack of awareness she sometimes carried around with her

‘Seriously Wynonna?!!’ Waverly barked as Nicole’s head appeared above Waverly’s

‘Dude... not cool’ she simply said to her friend

‘Believe me, I wish I wasn’t in here either, but Nic, you’re needed’

‘No shit Sherlock’ Waverly retorted

‘Baby girl, seriously... it’s Nedley’

‘What about Nedley?’ Nicole asked, instantly on alert

‘He was found this morning on the road side. Looks like a hit and run. He’s alive. Just. They need you at the station. Dolls is on his way to take you. He’ll be here in twenty. I’ve got coffee brewing downstairs... it… it sounds pretty bad Nic...’

Nicole was struck momentarily speechless as she took in all Wynonna had said.

‘Right... okay, I’ll be out in a minute’. Wynonna retreated from the bathroom and left the two women looking at each other as water continued to rain down on them.

Waverly was the first to jump into action. She kissed Nicole on the lips, then grabbed the soap and washed quickly before hopping out of the shower and heading back into her room to grab some clothes and get downstairs to rustle up some breakfast for the Officer before she disappeared. Nicole quickly finished washing and was dressed and downstairs in record time. She went into Wynonna’s room to wake Shae and explain where she was disappearing to. She then went to Jeremy, who had woken up in all the commotion. By the time Dolls had arrived, Nicole and Wynonna had been handed coffee and toasted bagels by Waverly and Nicole was saying goodbye to her friends with a promise to call them in a week or two once it had settled down. As Nicole walked to the car, she realised this meant the date would have to wait. She walked back to the brunette, who was standing on the porch ready to wave her off.

‘Waves... I think tonight wi...’

‘Oh gosh Nic, don’t even think about it okay-Nonna will get Shae and Jeremy back to yours and I’m headed to the hospital to find Chrissy... Want Wynonna to feed CJ whilst she’s there?’

‘Yeah... Okay... thank you’ Nicole handed Waverly a set of keys

‘I have a set at work, so can you guys keep a set here in case CJ needs feeding... sorry to ask, but I don’t know what I’m going to find when I get to work-I have a feeling it’s going to be all consuming...’

‘Of course’ Waverly replied. She then pulled Nicole into a hug and kissed her softly before saying ‘Now go... we’ll talk later’

 

Nicole and Dolls pulled up to the sheriffs building in the centre of town, and were met with complete chaos. As Nicole said her thanks to Dolls and made her way inside she was almost ambushed by locals trying to pass on helpful information about what exactly had happened. Nicole pushed her way through to the bullpen and found Lonnie on his own at the front desk trying to manage (unsuccessfully) the situation. Nicole went straight to Nedley’s office and found the loud haler he kept behind his desk and marched back into the busy front office. She turned the loud haler on and managed to get everyone’s attention

‘Ladies and gentlemen. We appreciate y’all are here to help, but unless you witnessed something, or think you have information that could be relevant to the incident, the best thing you can do for us is go home and let us talk to those people who can help’. To her relief, people started to disperse, leaving approximately 20 people at the front desk-whilst that was still a lot, it was definitely manageable. Nicole made her way over to Lonnie and interrupted a conversation he was having with Mary Wallace to go through exactly what she needed him to do. She had decided the easiest way to get all the information was to get phone numbers of half the people waiting to talk to them, and to arrange meetings with half today and half tomorrow. That way, tomorrow night, Nicole could review all statements and cross reference to see if there were any similar descriptions. She knew this was going to take time, but she needed to keep on top of every aspect of the case. Once she had explained her strategy to Lonnie, they set about figuring out who could stay on and get interviewed immediately and who was happy to return the following day. With Nedley in the hospital, she was technically in charge, and she knew it was likely to fall to her to try and figure out what the hell happened to the beloved sheriff.

 

Waverly, Shae and Jeremy piled into her tiny red jeep and made their way to Nicole’s place, closely followed by Wynonna in her truck.

‘Sorry this has happened guys, Nicole was looking forward to introducing you to the best pancakes this district has to offer’ Waverly started as they headed out of the homestead and onto the main road

‘Oh don’t worry about it, I’m completely used to Cole disappearing to a work emergency’ Shae replied. As she finished the sentence, she realised how that must have sounded so elaborated ‘I just mean it’s part of being friends with a cop-same with me when I’m on call, you gotta go when you gotta go’. Waverly nodded in agreement but her eyes kept on the road

‘So Waverly, when are you and Cole going to come see us in the city?’ Jeremy chimed in. Waverly raises her eyebrows in surprise and caught Jeremy’s eye in the rear view mirror

‘Oh... erm... I’m not sure... I mean, there are no plans to, but I’d love to see Toronto-I’ve never been, so maybe one day’

‘One day?’ Jeremy asked-confusion clear on his face ‘well I mean, you guys are a thing now aren’t you? You’ll have to come with her when she comes back next’

‘Well I don’t... I mean we haven’t... erm...’

‘Jeremy, your tact is as appalling as ever. Ignore him Waverly, he’s so logical, he doesn’t always see the grey areas, only the black and white’ Shae chipped in. Waverly smiled at the doctor, relieved that she could read the situation

‘Oh god, sorry-I just know what she’s like when she’s in love-I’m sure she’ll drag you to come see us soon’ Jeremy stated without even realising what he’d said

‘JEREMY’ Shae shot back at him, then glanced at the smaller woman currently looking very startled in the driver’s seat.

‘Sorry about him... although she’s clearly very happy...’

‘Erm... well good...’ was all Waverly could manage to splutter

‘Sorry... this is weird for you isn’t it?’ Shae asked softly. Jeremy was a lot to take if you didn’t know his social awkwardness and his incessant need to say exactly what he was thinking.

‘Not at all... I mean... I’ve never met an ex-wife before so I don’t really have a frame of reference, but it doesn’t feel too odd really considering-I mean, you are lovely, so... you know...’ Waverly trailed off not really sure what she was trying to say. Her brain had short circuited at Jeremy’s bombshell, but that could just be that Nicole was happy and in love with her new life. Yeah... that was it... Shae put her hand on Waverly’s arm and squeezed it lightly

‘Well I hope you do come to Toronto, it’s been really good meeting you guys-we’ve heard so much about you, and it’s been great getting to know you’

‘Totally’ Jeremy agreed as they pulled up to Nicole’s house. Wynonna skidded to a halt beside Waverly’s jeep and hopped out, quickly heading to the door. Waverly said her goodbyes to Shae and Jeremy and watched as Wynonna let the them in to the house. As she swung back out onto the road, her thoughts turned to Chrissy and Randy Nedley. Whatever Jeremy had meant would have to wait until her and Nicole could have a proper conversation-right now her priority was getting to her friends side as quickly and as safely as possible

 

The hospital was a small one storey building on the outskirts of town. Waverly went straight to the front desk to ask about the sheriff-and more specifically where she would be able to find her friend. Whilst she wasn’t family, and technically that kind of information should not have been divulged to anyone other than close family, Waverly recognised Mercedes Gardner, one of the nurses standing reading a chart at the front desk. She was Beth Gardner’s older sister, and whilst she had been a bitch at high school, she had mellowed considerably and even she acknowledged that Chrissy would need a friend more than ever, so quietly pointed Waverly to the direction of ICU. Waverly made her way to the east wing of the building and to the waiting room outside the intensive care unit. She text Wynonna letting her know she had got to the hospital safely, and that Nedley was in intensive care. She waited for Wynonna to reply letting her know she was on the way to the airport with Shae and Jeremy, and that she would swing by on her way back, and to let her know if Chrissy needed anything bringing to her. Wynonna had grown very fond of Chrissy, and whilst her and Nedley’s relationship appeared rocky, she had to admit how much she owed him. Randy Nedley has been first on the scene after the attack on the homestead fifteen years ago. He had wrapped Waverly in a blanket and Wynonna in a hug, before taking them to their aunt Gus and uncle Curtis’s. He had watched with frustration as Wynonna spun out of control and eventually left the town-and he couldn’t blame her for either of those things. This town was merciless when it came to the Earp’s, and Nedley on more than one occasion had stuck his neck out for the older of the two women. In short, despite his better judgement, Randy Nedley loved Wynonna Earp, and he was, however reluctantly, continuously on her side. Waverly walked into the ICU and saw Randy Nedley immediately. Mainly because he was the only patient in there. He was hooked up to various machines and had a tube helping him to breathe. Chrissy was sitting in the chair next to his bed, holding her father’s hand. Waverly approached cautiously, stopping to get some hand sanitiser at the nurses station. If he was in here, the chances are he was even more susceptible to infection, and although Waverly was incredibly hygenic, she wasn’t taking any risks. Chrissy looked up at her friend as she got nearer and stood immediately

‘Oh Waverly...’ she managed to get out before running into the smaller woman’s arms and sobbing. They stood there as Chrissy cried, Waverly stroked her friends back and held her close-she didn’t really know what she should do, so she just held her best friend and let her cry. Eventually Chrissy’s tears subsided, and Waverly led her back to the chair she had been sitting in

‘How’s he doing?’ Waverly asked. She knew it wasn’t the best thing to ask, but she had no information other than he had been found on the road side in a suspected hit and run

‘He’s got internal bleeding, broken ribs, and broken right leg and a head injury-they don’t know the extent of that yet as he’s not woken up-but because his brain has swelled, they’ve put him into an induced coma to try and relieve the pain a bit... I don’t know what happened... he was on patrol, got a call out to the highway and that’s as much as we know... I don’t know if there were witnesses or if it was deliberate... but who the hell would want to do this to him...’

‘I don’t know darling....’ was all Waverly could say in response. ‘Wynonna is going to come by, do you need her to bring you anything sweetie? When was the last time you ate?’ She asked whilst rubbing Chrissy’s back in comfort

‘Oh... erm... some coffee would be great... the coffee here is pretty shitty...’ Chrissy sniffed

‘Coffee it is’ Waverly said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent her sister a text.

 

Nicole and Lonnie had finally managed to get everyone’s statements down for the day and clear the station. There was a lot to organise, but without question, the first thing Nicole needed to do was to phone the hospital and get an update on Nedley. As she waited to get put through to the ICU, she looked at her cell for the first time since the morning and saw she had messages from Shae, Jeremy, Wynonna and Waverly. Nicole managed to speak to one of the doctors on the ward and was updated on Nedley’s condition-whilst they were very optimistic Nedley would make a full recovery from his external injuries, they were unable to give any indication as to whether or not he will recover from the internal damage. In short, it was just too soon to tell. Nicole decided to check in again tomorrow in person before thanking the doctor and hanging up. As she made her way to the break room to brew a fresh pot of coffee, she read her messages. Both Shae and Jeremy’s messages were letting her know they’d arrived safely back in Toronto and hoping all was better than first feared back in Purgatory. Wynonna was just letting her know she had fed CJ and had dropped her friends safely at the airport and to let her know if she needed anything-Nicole appreciated having Wynonna look out for her-she was proving herself one of the most reliable people in her life, which was a surprise to pretty much everyone-including Wynonna herself. Waverly’s message was just updating her on Chrissy and the hospital. Nicole was relieved Waverly was with Chrissy, she knew very little about her mentor other than he didn’t have a wife, and he doted on his daughter. Lonnie entered the break room just as Nicole was getting a cup down from the cupboard

‘Hey, do you wanna head home Lonnie, I’ll do the night shift with Mike and get some of the reports typed up-we can continue with statements tomorrow’ Nicole was used to pulling all-nighters when she was in Toronto, so wasn’t fazed by the thought of surviving on little sleep. She was hopeful that a couple of similarities that had cropped up in various statements would lead to something, but not wildly optimistic. It felt like this was deliberate somehow, and for the life of her, Nicole could not think why someone would purposefully run down Randy Nedley. 

 

Mike came in a little after 10pm to start the night shift, and by then, Nicole had already typed up 3 reports. Feeling like her eyes needed a break, so left her computer screen and went to get some fresh air outside. Picking her phone up as she went, she dialled a familiar number. After a couple of rings, what sounded like a very groggy Wynonna answered the phone

‘What?’ she barked

‘Sorry… did… I wake you?’ Nicole asked, feeling sheepish. She assumed Wynonna never had an early night, but it would appear she was wrong.

‘Nicole? No, no, no, not at all… I was just…’

‘Sleeping on the sofa?’

‘… Shut up…’ Wynonna said, but Nicole could hear the smile in her voice. ‘What’s up Haughtplate?’

‘Oh, well I was wondering if you could do me a favour... I’m pulling an all-nighter, so not going to get home, and I don’t have my glasses here… and also I’ve only have one uniform in my locker, and CJ needs feeding… any chance you could swing by mine on your way in tomorrow and grab me some spare clothes and… you know… feed my grumpy cat’

‘CJ is NOT grumpy… she’s just mis-understood’ Wynonna retorted

‘The love my cat has for you damn Earp girls is mind boggling…’ Nicole said whilst shaking her head

‘I haven’t been a girl for near on 15 years… Of course I’ll grab you some stuff. Realistically Nic, when are you thinking you’ll be able to get back there? I just mean… I can make this a regular thing if you need?’

‘Do you know what, yeah, that would be amazing-thanks Wy…’

‘How’s it going?’ Wynonna asked tentatively

‘Erm… it’s a bit all over the place. We have more witness statements being taken tomorrow, and tonight I’m typing up reports and am going to read through Nedley’s notes to see if there’s anything in them that could tell us what he was doing out there. Have you seen Chrissy?’

‘Yeah, I popped in and took her some food and coffee… He’s in a state Nic, he looked so… so fucking vunerable you know?’

‘Yeah, I’m going to head in before interviews in the morning to talk to the doctors… it’s just all such a mess’ The women were quiet for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts. Nicole snapped out of it first and added ‘Thanks again Wy, you’re an absolute star’

‘I know… I’m pretty fucking great’ Wynonna replied, the smile back in her voice. They hung up, and Nicole took in some fresh air. She knew the next few days were going to be solid work, and until Nedley wakes up, she’s going to have to try and figure this out on her own. 

 

Waverly eventually left Chrissy at the hospital, sleeping in a cot next to her father’s bed. She had stayed with her friend until she had finally drifted off to sleep, and planned to head home to get some rest herself, before returning in the morning. She hopped out of her jeep and walked into the house to catch the tail end of Wynonna on the phone to someone-Waverly assumed it was Nicole because of the tone in which her sister was talking. They had become incredibly close over the last 6 weeks, and Waverly loved the fact the women got on so well. Waverly tried to think of a time she had seen her sister interact so freely with another woman, and she was coming up empty on her memories. She put her bag down next to the door, and walked over to her sister on the sofa and kissed her on the top of her head. Wynonna looked up at her and smiled as she ended the call.

‘You okay baby girl?’ the older woman asked. Whilst Waverly was very tactile with pretty much everyone she met, she knew her sister didn’t really feel comfortable with contact unless she initiated it, but having spent most of the day in the ICU with her friend, Waverly just wanted to tell her sister she loved her.

‘Yeah, just a rough day… I love you Nonna…’ Waverly said. Wynonna got up and walked over to her little sister. She wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and kissed her on the top of the head.

‘I know Waves… I love you too… you want some tea?’

‘Yeah, I really do’ The women made their way to the kitchen and uncharacteristically both had tea. Wynonna moaned about it, but she knew she was going to have to be there for Waverly whilst her sister supported Chrissy, and she also wanted Nicole to be able to rely on her if she needed.

‘How’s Nic?’ Waverly asked.

‘She’s swamped, as you’d expect really. She’s pulling an all-nighter, but I’ll be surprised if she makes it home at all this week. There’s so much paperwork involved with this sort of thing, and what with it being her, Lonnie and Mike, she’s going to need to do pretty much all of it if it’s going to be of any use to anyone’ Wynonna replied. She really felt for her friend, but also knew that Nicole would want to be in control of it.

‘I’m feeding CJ for the foreseeable, and I’m dropping off some clothes and her glasses for her in the morning’ Wynonna continued

‘Aren’t you and Dolls planning to grab stupid Carl in the morning?’

‘Yeah, but I can go before…’ Wynonna replied. Waverly took a drink of her tea and shook her head

‘I’ll do it Nonna, I know my way around her room, and then you can do it in the evening when I’m at the hospital’

‘That would be great actually, thanks’. The sisters were quiet for a moment, before the silence was broken by Waverly yawning.

‘Right, I’m off to bed’ she said whilst standing and putting her cup in the sink. Wynonna stood and walked over to the sink, starting to fill it with water so she could wash up the crockery that was stacked up at the sink. Waverly stood and watched her sister as she tested the heat of the water and smiled to herself. She had become more and more domesticated over the last couple of months, and Waverly had really noticed the difference. She was drinking less and was being so supportive towards her. She didn’t want to assume Wynonna was staying, but since she’d been working with Dolls, it felt like she’d really grown up, and the demons she was no doubt still battling, were at least being fought without the need for whisky all the time. Waverly, for the first time in a long time, could see her and Wynonna’s future at the homestead together, and that feeling was everything to her


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Nicole typed up all ten reports and managed to fall asleep in the break room for a couple of hours. She woke at six with her back sore and her limbs heavy, but once she stretched out her body and got under the shower, she started to feel more human. She dressed in a spare uniform she’d found in the stock room. The shirt was large and the trousers were a khaki colour that Nicole was not keen on, but it meant she could leave immediately and grab a proper coffee from the diner for her and Chrissy before heading to the hospital. She walked into the ICU and was struck with just how quiet it was on the ward. The only sounds were of the machines currently hooked up to her boss. Nicole saw Chrissy sitting in the chair next to her father, so before talking to the doctors, she headed over to the woman she had come to think of as a friend. As she approached with two coffee cups in hand, Chrissy stood and walked towards the redhead. Nicole put the coffee’s down at the nurse’s station and enveloped Chrissy in a hug.

‘Thank you for coming’ the smaller woman said as Nicole pulled away and looked her in the eye.

‘How’s he doing?’ She asked. Nicole knew she had to have a proper conversation with the doctors, but wanted to hear from Chrissy in case there had been any change over night

‘The same really… I just don’t know what happened…’

‘I know… we’re working on it…’

‘Do you know anything?’ Chrissy asked hopefully. Nicole wanted to tell her they would find who was responsible, and that she won’t stop until they did. But she didn’t want to make promises she might not be able to keep. It was devastating to look at Chrissy here now, desperate for any sort of news as to what the hell had happened to her father, but Nicole couldn’t betray her training. So instead she went with vague answers and soft words of encouragement, hoping it would sooth Chrissy without getting her hopes up. They sat and drank their coffee’s together before Nicole excused herself to go and speak to the doctors. She didn’t know what the doctor would be able to tell her, but as Nedley was law enforcement, there was an unwritten rule that they would help an officer out in every way they could. Public services look after their own, and no-one was more prominent in that than Randy Nedley. Luckily, as Nicole approached the nurses station, the doctor appeared and was able to talk Nicole through Nedley’s injuries. They were hopeful the brain swelling had gone down, and were planning another CT scan that morning to see if there were any changes. After promising to call Nicole with any updates, the doctor disappeared and Nicole went back to Chrissy to say goodbye and make sure she had her number in case she wanted to call her for anything.

The women said their goodbyes, and Nicole headed back to the station to continue the interviews set up for the day. Traffic was kind to Nicole and she made it back to the station with 45 minutes to spare before her first interview was planned. She headed into Nedley’s office and started looking through his most recent paperwork. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she switched on his computer and waited for it to load. Mike wandered into the office and handed Nicole a bag of stuff. Nicole frowned as the bag was passed over

‘Waverly Earp dropped this off for you. Said she’d fed you cat too’

‘Oh great, thanks Mike’

‘How was he?’ Mike asked. He was an older guy, coasting through the days until his retirement, but he was a nice chap, and just because the slow pace this town suited him now, didn’t detract from his ability to do his job. Mike was on permanent nights. He was widowed a few years ago and decided to take the night shift so he could pick his grand-kids up from school every afternoon. It meant that Lonnie and Nicole rotated nights and days and Nedley and Mike kept their shifts always the same. Sheriff on days, Mike on nights. Nicole sighed and sat back in the chair behind the desk.

‘The same at the moment, they’re doing tests this morning. If the brain swelling has gone down, they’ll try and bring him out of the coma… Chrissy is there. Slept in the bed next to him... You planning to go and see him?’

‘Yeah, soon as my shift is done… how you doing?’

‘I’m just at a loss as to who would do this you know?’

‘What do his notes say? I mean, he just said to Lonnie he was going out on patrol…’ Mike enquired. Nicole was trying to get into Nedley’s notes to see if he recorded his movements before he left, but knew deep down he wouldn’t have typed anything up before hand-you write your reports once you’ve done the work, not the other way round.

‘Nothing on the system-but his notebook wasn’t recovered in his vehicle. Can you see if the hospital have it when you go. I doubt they’ll be of use, but we need to look. Sorry, I should have thought when I was there.’ Nicole chastised herself. Mike took a step into the office and sat opposite Nicole at the desk

‘Hey, don’t do that-don’t beat yourself up. You can’t do everything Nicole, that’s why there’s a team of us. I’ll go and get the notebook and see how he’s doing-if there’s anything in there, I’ll call it in. We have been hit hard by this, all of us, and even if the notebook was here, this was the first chance we’ve had to look at it’ Mike said. Nicole looked up at the older man and smiled. He was as solid as Nedley, and had known him a lot longer than Nicole and Lonnie combined. She saw for the first time how tired Mike looked

‘Thanks… how are you holding up?’ she asked. Sometimes the most obvious question takes the longest to ask, and this was never truer than sitting opposite a man whose friend of 30 years lay in a coma down the road. Mike didn’t just look tired, he looked worried. He smiled at her wearily and stood up

‘Oh I’m okay, I just want to see him really. And Chrissy, I want to go and see how she is-lord knows when I lost my June, Randy was the one checking up on my kids…’ Nicole didn’t know much about Mike, other than when his wife passed he was a mess for a while. Nedley had been implicit in getting him back on the right track. It seemed to Nicole that Nedley had a knack at this-the people Randy Nedley had helped find the right path was ever increasing.

‘Head off now Mike, Lonnie will be in soon and we’re not swamped-I’m just going to go through Nedley’s computer, see if he was working on anything covert we weren’t aware of’

‘Okay, thanks… Hey Nicole, can I make a suggestion?’

‘Of course’

‘How about we call Brenda in so she can type up the reports as they get completed? That way you won’t have to stay all night typing, and Lonnie and you can start cross referencing as soon as the last one’s done’. Brenda was the office administrator and book keeper who only worked one day a week. Nicole had to admit it was an excellent idea, and inwardly cursed that she hadn’t thought of it herself

‘That’s a great idea Mike, thanks, I’ll call her’. Mike made to leave before turning once again towards the younger officer and smiling at her

‘You’re doing great Nicole, but remember it’s okay to lean on my experience if you need-I’m no Randy Nedley, but I’m a pretty good sounding board none the less…’ Not for the first time within their conversation, Nicole was grateful for the older man in front of her. She smiled at him again, and thanked him for his advice, before he turned and left the office. Nicole looked into the bag Waverly had dropped off-she was grateful for the fresh clothes, including several pairs of fresh underwear and her glasses, as well as some dailies contact lenses and some eye drops. The women hadn’t actually spent that much time together, but she was relieved that what time they had spent, Waverly had been aware of Nicole’s routines and what she might need for an overnight stay. She always kept spare contacts in her bag, but she had put them in this morning, and if Nicole was going to spend most of the day writing and then the evening in front of the computer, she was relieved she had her glasses close by to give her eyes a rest. Nedley’s computer had finally spluttered into life and after rifling through his drawers, Nicole managed to find his passwords written down at the front of an old notebook he kept in his top drawer. Nicole signed into his desktop and went into his computer diary first. She skimmed over the pages and scrolled down to see how his week had panned out. There was nothing out of the ordinary, so she moved to look at his files on his desktop. Again, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she was looking through his PSD records when a file caught her eye. Most of the files were given the date as their title so you could head straight to the date the incident occurred to see what had happened. But there was one file named ‘Gardner’ sitting amongst Nedley’s reports. Nicole was about to open it when Lonnie knocked on the door and announced the bullpen had two people in it waiting to be interviewed. She locked the computer and headed out to the front desk. Lonnie was leading Claire Masters into interview one, which left Nicole to interview Steve Guppy. Guppy was a middle aged man who worked out at the farm closest to where Nedley had been found.

‘Hi Steve, thanks for coming in. Would you mind just sitting here whilst I make a very quick phone call, then we’ll get started’ Nicole said. Steve was an amiable man, so happily sat at Nicole’s desk as she walked to the phone at the front desk. After phoning Brenda and having her agree to come in this morning, Nicole moved back to Steve and started the interview. Lonnie and her rotated who had the room and who sat at their desk so that the station was always manned. Brenda arrived an hour later and Lonnie and Nicole both handed her their first statements so she could type them. With that job now taken care of, Nicole and Lonnie worked quickly, and by early evening, they had all interviews done, and Brenda was two statements away from getting them in the system. Mike had text earlier in the day to tell them that Nedley’s notebook wasn’t at all helpful, so the officers felt deflated once more as they made their way to the break room to grab a quick coffee when Wynonna entered the station. She had in her hand 4 coffees and a bag of greasy food. She placed it all on the table and looked at the two officers standing by the coffee pot

‘I bring coffee and food’ Wynonna said, pointing at the bag on the table

‘Marry me’ Nicole said.

‘How much money do you have?’

‘More than you think’ Nicole retorted and Wynonna laughed. The brunette looked at Lonnie, who was standing with a bemused look on his face as he witnessed the exchange, and winked before she picked up two of the coffees and headed back out into the station. Nicole looked into the bag and pulled out 3 plates. There were three burgers and a salad, as well as fries and what looked like some slices of cherry pie. Wynonna came back with one coffee still in hand and sauntered over to the table to retrieve the salad

‘Who’s that for?’ Nicole asked, half hoping Waverly was joining them

‘Brenda. I came in about half an hour ago, and she sent me out to get you guy’s food and get her a salad-although she also asked me to get her some pie…’ Wynonna replied. The bounty hunter sat down at the table as Nicole dished out the food. After several minutes of them all eating in silence, Wynonna eventually started up the conversation

‘So… how’s it going?’ she simply asked. She knew neither of the officers could really talk about the case, but she thought she’d ask anyway in case they needed a sounding board.

‘We’ve just finished interviews, so we’re going to now cross reference what we know. There are a couple of similarities I wouldn’t mind looking into, and I need to phone the hospital for an update

‘Still no change’ Wynonna said. ‘Waves is there with Chrissy, I spoke to her about 3pm and she said he was still out of it’. They were all silent again as they continued eating, although they had all lost their appetites. Once they’d finished eating, Lonnie disappeared to phone his wife, leaving Nicole and Wynonna alone for a few minutes

‘You okay?’ Wynonna asked. Nicole looked tired, and she clearly hadn’t been home again.

‘Yeah, I’m going to stay here again tonight-I want to look through Nedley’s files on his computer and see if there’s anything of interest on them’. She didn’t want to voice her suspicions that Nedley was working on something he didn’t want to share with his team.

‘I’ll swing by and feed CJ’ Wynonna said absentmindedly. She then stood up and cleared away the rubbish and loaded the plates into the dishwasher.

‘Thanks Wy, that food was exactly what I needed’

‘Just happy to help’ Wynonna replied. And she meant it. She wanted to be someone Nicole could rely on. Even if Waverly decided she wanted to leave Purgatory, Wynonna had made the decision she didn’t want to run away any more. She was helping to fix up their home, and whilst she hated to admit it, her and Dolls had become very close, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him. They weren’t at a point where she wanted to talk about him to anyone, but she was definitely invested in where they could be going. Nicole walked up to Wynonna and pulled her in for a hug

‘Erm… what is happening?’ Wynonna asked

‘I need a hug’ Nicole replied simply. Wynonna sighed and resigned herself to the fact her new friend liked human contact almost as much as her little sister did.

‘Fine… But I don’t like it’ Wynonna said as she put her arms round her friend and squeezed her tightly

‘Thank you… I’m glad you’re my person’ Nicole said

‘What do you mean your person?’ Wynonna enquired

‘You never saw Grey’s Anatomy?’

‘Err… Nope’

‘You should watch it… It’s great’ Nicole said as she pulled away and walked out of the break room. 

 

Waverly was sitting with Nedley reading him a chapter of Pride and Prejudice. It was one of her favourites and she had recently picked it up again and decided to read it once more. As she was leaving this morning, she threw the book into her bag in case she was hanging around the hospital on her own. The doctors hadn’t managed to get the sheriff to his CT scan-there had been a problem with the equipment and the hospital were waiting to get it fixed. It had been a frustrating day for Chrissy, and Waverly had managed to convince her friend to go home for a few hours and sleep and shower, promising to stay at his bedside until she returned. Nedley had been a constant in the Earp sisters lives, and whilst he had sometimes had to lock Wynonna up because of her behaviour, he had always been good to them. She was just reading the passage where Elizabeth Bennett was begging her father not to marry her off to Mr Collins when she felt a presence at the end of the bed. She looked up and found Mercedes looking at the sheriff, a sad look in her eyes.

‘Hey’ Waverly said to the older woman. Mercedes turned her focus to Waverly and smiled slightly

‘How’s he doing?’ Waverly asked. She knew there was probably no change, but they were forever taking bloods and doing reflex tests on him, so she couldn’t be sure

‘He’s no better, but no worse-which is a good thing’ Mercedes responded. She looked down at Waverly and smiled again ‘Where’s Chrissy?’ the nurse asked

‘I managed to persuade her to go home for a bit. Said I’d sit with him… Just don’t want him to be on his own, you know…’

‘Yeah, I know’ the nurse responded. She said her goodbyes to Waverly and the brunette continued her reading to the sheriff. She didn’t know if it helped or not, but it beat sitting in silence or chatting to the ether. She was three chapters in before she heard steps approaching. She looked up to see Chrissy returning. Whilst her friend still looked tired, she did look slightly better, and she sat in the chair opposite Waverly and took her father’s hand in hers

‘No change?’ she asked, almost knowing the answer. Waverly shook her head. They sat in silence for a while until Chrissy took a deep breath and looked at her friend

‘Tell me something about you? Something that will take my mind away from this’ Chrissy asked. Waverly had a lot to tell Chrissy, so started at the two weeks of finals. Chrissy listened intently, only interrupting when Waverly told her about Okezie. Chrissy leant back against her chair

‘Wow… a one night stand?’

‘Yep’

‘And Nicole heard you telling Wynonna to stop being such a judgey Judy?’

‘Yep’

‘And then she got punched in the face by stupid Carl?’

‘Yep’

‘Wow… awesome day for Nicole…’

‘Well… we’ve sorted it out now’ Waverly said, and then she told her all about Shae and Jeremy’s visit, and how Jeremy had intimated Nicole was in love with her

‘Shit Waves…’ Chrissy said after she’d finished. ‘How does that make you feel?’

‘Well, he ONLY intimated it, it’s not like he said ‘she’s told us she’s in love with you Waverly’… he merely suggested he thinks she might be’ Waverly clarified

‘Yeah, but how does it make you feel?’ Chrissy asked again. Waverly sat back and thought about it

‘Pretty fucking good actually’ Waverly replied. ‘I mean, we need to actually have a conversation about what we both want, but I hope she wants me and only me. I don’t think she’s seeing anyone else…’ Waverly said

‘She’s not, I know she’s not’

‘What do you mean you know?’ Waverly questioned.

‘Well, I know that Beth Gardner has been sniffing about for WEEKS and Nicole has been politely refusing her advances’

‘Has she?!… well shit…’ Waverly replied. Chrissy laughed at her friend. It was the first time in 48 hours that a smile had crossed her lips, let alone a laugh

‘Waverly, I love you, but you are the most oblivious genius I know’

‘How many geniuses do you actually know Chris?’

‘Not. The. Point.’ Chrissy retorted. The women laughed once more, and Chrissy felt like the heavy weight that had been resting on her chest had been slightly alleviated. They continued to chat about anything other than the man currently lying between them, and were only interrupted when Wynonna appeared with food for both the women

‘I swear to god, I’m fucking Uber eats right now-I should charge’ Wynonna said as she handed out various tubs of Chinese food to the women in front of her. ‘This is all your fault old man’ she said whilst pointing some chopsticks at the comatose Sheriff.

‘WYNONNA’ Waverly chastised. Wynonna turned to Chrissy and winked, who rolled her eyes and smiled at the leather clad brunette. Say what you like about Wynonna Earp, but subtle, she is not.

‘Are you not eating?’ Waverly enquired. Wynonna shook her head and turned to leave

‘No, I’ve just taken food to Nic and Lonnie, and now I’m going to feed Calamity Jane before picking up a pizza and heading to Dolls’ house’. Waverly and Chrissy looked at each other with raised eyebrows

‘Oh don’t even.’ Wynonna said sharply

‘Didn’t say a word’ Waverly retorted whilst smiling and digging out a mushroom from her mixed veg stir fry.

‘What’s this?’ Chrissy asked, her interest piqued

‘Nothing’ Wynonna said as Waverly said ‘Nonna’s sleeping with Dolls’

‘I am NOT’ Wynonna said as Chrissy said ‘You’re WHAT?’

Wynonna shook her head firmly and said ‘Nope, not doing this’ and started to leave the ladies

‘Thanks for the food Nonna’ Waverly called, as she watched as her sister flip her the bird without looking back.

 

Nicole had 20 typed up statements in front of her and a pot of coffee. Brenda had left an hour ago, having finished all the paperwork, and Nicole had just sent Lonnie home. Mike was due in soon, and as she decided she would stay again tonight so her and Mike could bounce ideas off each other. Whilst she waited for Mikes shift to start, Nicole made copies of all the statements taken over the last 36 hours and filed the originals away. She picked up a high-lighter and started to read the statements Lonnie took first, high-lighting anything of interest. She was half way through the second statement when Mike walked in. He looked tired, but smiled at Nicole when their eyes met across the bull pen

‘Hey’ Nicole greeted ‘Coffee?’ she offered as she stood from behind her desk

‘Yeah, thanks’ Mike agreed as he shrugged off his coat and grabbed his mug from his desk. They went through Nicole’s strategy, then worked quietly at their own desks, occasionally swapping reports or jotting down notes. Once Nicole had finished Lonnie’s statements, she handed them over to Mike and took the ones she’d taken from the older officer. They repeated this action, and by 2AM, both of them had read all reports and had a couple of pages of notes. Nicole leant back on her chair and sighed

‘Not a lot to go on’

‘No… not a lot… but there’s a red car that keeps cropping up’ Nicole replied. Just then, the front desk phone rang. Nicole remembered it was a Thursday night, which meant some of the bars in and around the town were still open. Mike answered the call, then looked at Nicole as he said

‘Sure Gus, someone’ll be over in as fast as we can’. As soon as Nicole heard Gus’ name, she was on her feet and striding over to collect her coat.

‘Fight at Shorty’s… Champ Hardy’s involved’ Mike said as Nicole started for the door

‘I’ll handle it Mike, you keep on this and see what other similarities we found’ and she headed out to the street. The cool air hit Nicole in the face and she realised it was the first bit of fresh air she’d had in her lungs since 8AM that morning. She took several deep breaths as she strode over the road towards her local bar. She pulled the door back and walked in to be faced with a couple of men swinging about at each other drunkenly. She sighed at the sight in front of her. Usually, Nicole had patience for the locals, but not at the moment. Right now she had more important things to be doing, so she marched up to the men and pulled them apart immediately. Champ was swaying slightly and threatening another local jock called Ryan Catherell

‘Enough’ she roared at the men. Give them their due, they both looked a little startled at Nicole’s interruption, and as she grabbed Ryan by the elbow. Hauling him outside she turned to his two friends that had followed her out and suggested they got him home ASAP before she changed her mind. She then turned back into the bar and headed in to repeat the process with Champ Hardy. Unfortunately, Champ had other ideas, and as she approached the inebriated idiot, he raised his head and scowled at her.

‘Come on Hardy… out’ she said as she went to take his elbow. He swung his body away from her

‘Don’t touch me dyke’ she spat. Nicole was startled at first, but realised there was a crowd watching, so she reached out for his shoulder once more

‘Okay, well done, I’m a lesbian. Now out’ She retorted

‘You took her from me’ He wailed. Nicole took a deep breath. She really, really didn’t want to have this conversation, and certainly not in front of a crowd of people

‘Hardy, let’s go. Now’ She decided to just get him out and get someone to take him home-she certainly wasn’t planning to

‘NO’ he bellowed, and then he punched Nicole in the face

‘Are you FUCKING kidding me?’ She shouted. He went to lunge at her again, but Nicole was too quick, and she had him spun round and in cuffs before he knew what he had done. She marched him out of the bar and dragged him across the road quicker than anyone could follow, and as she flew the doors to the station open and saw Mike, she barked at him to open up the cell so she could throw Champ’s sorry ass in jail. Nicole had never been physically assaulted before, but had managed to have it happen to her twice in the space of a week. Just as her face colour had returned to some semblance of normal, this had happened, and whilst it didn’t hurt as much as the first time, she knew it would leave a mark.

‘Get in there’ she said through gritted teeth as she pushed Champ into the cell and undid his cuffs.

‘Hey you can’t…’ Hardy started to protest as Nicole swung the cell door closed

‘Yes I can. I can do what I fucking want as you’ve just assaulted a police officer. A FEMALE police officer. Your Billy big balls tactics might work on other people Hardy, but they are lost on me. Now, in case you hadn’t noticed, this department is busy TRYING to figure out what happened to our Sheriff, so, instead of WASTING my time on your pathetic attempts to deal with your life, I am going to continue to do my job. I don’t give a shit if you’re drunk, I don’t give a shit if your heart is hurt, and I don’t give a shit if you didn’t mean what you did back there. You have to start taking some FUCKING responsibility and realise your actions AFFECT people. Now there are blankets there for you, and someone will bring you a coffee so you can sober the fuck up. I have work to do. I STRONGLY suggest you don’t interrupt me. Do you understand?’ Champ looked down at his feet, his hands in his pockets

‘I said… do you understand?’

Yeah’

‘Yes what?’ Nicole barked

‘Yes Ma’am’

‘Good’. Nicole then marched out of the holding cell and back into the bullpen. Mike, who had heard the entire exchange started to chuckle. Nicole looked up at him questioningly

‘What are you laughing at?’ She asked with a smile tugging at her lips

‘I can’t believe you made him call you Ma’am’

‘The way I’m feeling towards that man, he got off lightly’

‘Oh I don’t doubt you…’ Mike smiled ‘I’ll go make a fresh pot, then you and I can start talking red car’s’. He got up from his desk and disappeared into the break room. Nicole went into the ladies to take her contacts out-the last she needed was her eye swelling shut with her contact still in. She sat back down at her desk and heard the station door open. She braced herself for Champ Hardy’s father to appear and start raising merry hell to get his son out-she was not expecting a furious Waverly Earp in a leopard print coat, a PSD oversized hoodie that Nicole could have sworn she’d lost, sweats and some furry boots.

‘Hey Waves…’ Nicole started but was stopped immediately by Waverly’s hand being held up

‘Where is he?’ She said. Nicole should have known Gus would have phoned Waverly.

‘He’s locked up. You can’t see him’

‘The hell I can’t’ the younger woman said challengingly. She then marched round the corner and towards the cells.

‘Waverly…’ Nicole called, but she already knew her words were falling on deaf ears. She got up and started to follow the tiny woman when Mike appeared with a coffee in one hand and an ice pack in the other. Nicole accepted both gratefully then explained that the yelling he could hear was Waverly Earp

‘I thought they’d split up?’ Mike enquired

‘Oh they have… I think this is more to do with the punches he was throwing about in her aunt’s bar’

‘Or a certain punch in particular?’ Mike said suggestively

‘I… Well… Shut up Mike’ Nicole spluttered, whilst smiling at the older man. Waverly then reappeared round the corner looking absolutely furious. She saw Mike, and her face instantly changed and she beamed a smile up at him

‘Hey Mike, how you doing? How’s Jennie and the grand kids?’

‘Oh they’re great thanks-growing up fast… I’ll… erm… I’ll go give Hardy his coffee-it was good to see you again’ Mike said not very subtly as he disappeared towards the cells at the far end of the station. Nicole was sitting at her desk with an ice pack on her eye

‘Let me see’ Waverly demanded. Nicole had never seen ‘authoritative’ Waverly, and had to admit she quite enjoyed it. She removed the ice pack and winced slightly. Waverly moved to sit on the edge of Nicole’s desk and gently moved Nicole’s face to the left so she could get a better look.

‘It’s not as bad as the last one’ She said whilst placing her hand on the right of Nicole’s neck

‘Yeah… who’d have thought stupid Carl would be a better aim than Champ Hardy’ Nicole replied. Waverly smiled down at her, concern in her eyes

‘Are you okay?’ The smaller woman asked. Nicole smiled up at her and nodded she was fine. Waverly put their foreheads together gently

‘I’m sorry’ she said quietly. Nicole put her hand on Waverly’s wrist

‘What on earth are you sorry for baby?’ Nicole said just as quietly. ‘He’s a prick, that’s not on you Waves’

‘I know… it’s just…’

‘Waverly, look at me…’ Nicole said whilst pulling away from the brunette. Waverly looked at Nicole and held her gaze

‘None of this is your fault okay? He got drunk, and he lost control-it may be because he’s lost, but that’s on him, not on you. You are not responsible for him…’ and Nicole stood up so she could pull Waverly into her. She wrapped the smaller woman up in her arms and held her tightly, kissing the top of her head. Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicole’s waist and pulled her closer. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before Nicole eventually pulled away.

‘You need to get some sleep. Will you be okay driving home?’

‘I’m staying at Shorty’s so I’m closer to the hospital… Are you working all night again?’ Waverly asked. Nicole knew they were going to be at it for another couple of hours at least

‘Yeah, we’re making slow progress, but might be on to something-I need to see the outcome’

‘Okay, well, if you need to sleep in a bed, just call-my phone is on for Chrissy…’

‘Thank you-I may well take you up on that’ Nicole said. Waverly then leant up and gently kissed Nicole on the lips, staying there for longer than either woman had anticipated. Neither of the women had heard Mike reappear from the cells, so when Waverly eventually pulled away and turned to leave, she saw him. Nicole worried she might be upset that he had witnessed such an intimate moment between them, but instead she smiled at him and said goodnight before turning back to Nicole, kissing her once more quickly and heading for the exit. Nicole looked over at the man now grinning at her

‘Oh stop it’ she said through a smile, but he just chuckled at the redhead, watching her blushes grow.


	8. Chapter eight

Chapter eight

Waverly pulled her coat tighter around her body as she left the station and headed back to Shorty’s. She walked through the door and found her aunt sweeping up the remaining glass on the floor left by the bar fight half an hour earlier.

‘Let me do that Gus’ Waverly said, whilst taking her jacket off and heading round the bar for a dust pan. Her aunt sighed and sat down on a nearby bar stool

‘I’m getting too old for this shit’ Gus said as she handed the brush to her youngest niece.

‘I’m sorry’ Waverly said sadly as she cleaned. Gus took a deep breath and moved her stool so she was facing the smaller woman on the floor

‘What in God’s name have you got to be sorry for? I didn’t see you throwing your weight about’

‘Well… no… but… I heard what Champ was saying-it’s my fault he’s so upset’ Waverly replied, not looking at her aunt

‘Waverly Earp put that damn brush down and look at me’. Waverly knew never to disobey Gus McCready, so did as she was told and turned to face to grey haired fireball.

‘It is not your fault that damn boy couldn’t keep his shit together. Hell, you should have dumped his sorry ass years ago-the only thing you’re guilty of is staying with him a damn sight longer then anyone thought possible. And you just ignore what he said to your police lady, he’d lost you long before she came along’. Waverly smiled slightly as she started sweeping again

‘She’s not MY police lady’ she said, her smirk increasing

‘Oh sweetheart, the whole town can see she’s yours… And for what it’s worth… I like her’ Gus said whilst pointedly looking at Waverly. Gus knew her niece’s better than most. Wynonna didn’t care what anyone thought, and Waverly cared what EVERYONE thought. It made for an interesting dynamic when raising the girls, and one that Gus was forever going to be battling. She smiled as she watched the youngest Earp clear up the mess. She had spent a large part of Waverly’s life watching her cleaning up after other people, and was relieved that she could see a future worthy of her niece on the horizon with Nicole Haught. 

Nicole and Mike knew four things. They knew that a car had been seen by three separate people, they knew that the car was red and it had a G and an 8 on its registration plate and that the driver was a young man. It wasn’t a lot to go on when you looked at it on paper, but to Nicole and Mike it was everything. Even though it was close to 4AM, Nicole felt alive as she typed into the Alberta state database the new details that had come to light. They only wanted to talk to the owner of the vehicle, and lord knows Nicole didn’t want to get carried away, but as she waited for the computer to collect all the information she’d requested, she felt in her bones that they were on to something. What they knew was this car was seen driving ‘erratically’ (Steve Guppy’s words, not theirs) and the young man behind the wheel was white, late teens or early twenties and appeared to be on his own. As Nicole waited for the information to load up, she returned to Nedley’s office and began to look into the file she had noticed earlier buried amongst the sheriff’s database. She loaded the file and started to read what appeared to be a rather comprehensive file on a young man called Tucker Gardner. Nicole wasn’t sure why Nedley had started this file, but she was intrigued to delve deeper into it. Nedley appeared to have been tracking this guy but there was no reason as to why the file had been created-it seemed to Nicole that Nedley had been watching Mr Gardner closely and recording his movements.

‘Hey Mike, come here’ Nicole shouted through to the bull pen. She had listened earlier when Mike he had warned her not to try and do everything herself, and wanted to see what her colleague thought of her findings. Mike came in and stood by the door, seemingly not wanting to cross the threshold into Nedley’s office.

‘Look at this… Nedley made a file on a guy called Tucker Gardner… any idea why?’ Nicole asked. Mike shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. Nicole looked up at the older man and frowned

‘What’s going on Mike?’ Nicole asked. She knew Mike and Nedley were friends, but that didn’t matter when it came to work-and Nedley would be the first one to remind his team of such things. Mike looked a bit sheepish, then sighed and sat opposite Nicole, running his hands through his hair.

‘Randy had a feeling…’ Mike started. Nicole thought he was going to elaborate, but when nothing came she prompted him, trying to keep her patience.

‘What do you mean he had a feeling? About what?’ She asked calmly

‘The thing about Tucker is… he’s a little off… Nedley has known about him for a long time-especially after the whole Waverly thing’ Nicole’s heart rate went up a notch as she tried to act as nonchalant as she could

‘What Waverly thing?’ Mike realised he was about to reveal something he perhaps shouldn’t and cleared his throat whilst shifting awkwardly in his chair.

‘Erm… well… Tucker Gardner developed an unhealthy obsession for the Earp girl. Nedley had him under unofficial surveillance whenever he is in town’

‘So was he like stalking her or something?’ Nicole asked, her throat a little drier than it should be.

‘Kind of… Waverly is so damn nice she never saw it like that, but Randy once had to drop him home. And… well I can’t remember the details, but he walked into the boy’s room and had a look around, and... well… he had covered his closet head to toe in photos of Waverly-but it wasn’t just of her… some of it was her and his sister… they were…. Well they were in a compromising position…’ Mike wouldn’t meet Nicole’s eyes as he told the last part

‘Mike, are you telling me that Tucker Gardner took photos of Waverly and his sister having sex and then put them all over his closet?’

‘That’s about the size of it yeah… I’m not sure whether Waverly knows or not…’

‘Okay… well why the file?’

‘He disappeared for a bit, but Nicole… he’s back… has been for about three months… and well… Randy was worried…’

‘Who knows about this?’

‘Randy…. Me… and…. I think that’s it…’

‘Right… So what we’ve got is Nedley was unofficially tracking someone, who may, or may not have been stalking a resident, but as far as we know that resident didn’t know that they may have been being stalked, he conducted some sort of search which may or may not have been illegal and now he is in a coma having been hit by a so far unknown car…’

‘Yep’ Mike replied. Nicole took her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose.

‘This is a mess…’ she said softly. ‘Do we know where Gardner is now?’ she asked. Mike shook his head

‘Last I know is just what Randy had written in that there report. He’s disappeared again’. Nicole’s inbox pinged in with the information they’d been waiting on from the Alberta state driving license department. She sent it straight to the printer and got up from Nedley’s desk. It was close to 5AM and the adrenaline that had been surging her forward with this had worn off. She was suddenly exhausted. Deciding she needed a change of scene, she walked to the printer and picked up all the pages the printer had dispersed. Mike followed her back out into the bullpen and leant against his desk.

‘I’m going to get a couple of hours sleep, I’ll be back before you leave your shift… and Mike, let’s keep this between us for now okay?’

‘Sure thing Nicole…’ Mike replied. ‘I’ll type up our findings from tonight, and I’ll finish the report on Hardy. When should we let him go?’

‘Let him sleep it off… But let’s not give him breakfast-after the black eye he’s given me, he certainly doesn’t get fed by us’ Nicole said with a smile. Mike laughed and went back to his computer.

Stepping outside to the cool pre-dawn air, Nicole walked to her cruiser and got in. She had thought fleetingly about going over to Shorty’s and taking Waverly up on her offer, but decided to let the brunette sleep. She pulled up to her house five minutes later and headed straight into her room. Finding CJ fast asleep on her bed, Nicole stripped out of the hideous khaki’s and oversized man shirt and slipped under the covers. She set her alarm for 7AM and as she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts were consumed by Tucker Gardner, and how the hell they were going to find him.

 

Waverly was surprised to see Nicole’s cruiser parked outside the officer’s house as she pulled up. She contemplated knocking on the door and saying good morning, but she wasn’t sure what time Nicole would have got in, and didn’t want to risk waking her. So she swung her jeep round and headed to the diner to pick her and Chrissy up some breakfast. As she waited in line to make her order, Waverly pulled her phone out and contemplated phoning the red head, but decided on text instead

WE: Hey, I was going to feed CJ this morning, but saw your cruiser-let me know if you need me to see to her tonight xx

Waverly wasn’t expecting a response as it was a little after 7AM, but she got one almost immediately

NH: Hey, thanks for that! I think CJ was secretly furious she had to share my bed, even if it was only for 2 hours! It’s safe to assume I’ll need someone to pop in and feed her tonight-work is crazy, and I think I did more damage coming home for a couple of hours! Besides, we both know she prefers you two Earps over me… Thanks again Waves, sorry you drove over here-I should have let you know I came home x

WE: Don’t be sorry!! I love your cat as much as she loves me! Happy to help! I’m heading to the hospital, they’re hoping to get Nedley into the CT scan this morning so will be there all day if you need anything… Make sure you eat properly xx

Waverly smiled as she sent the message back to Nicole. She wanted to look after her, but there had been little cause for Nicole to throw herself into her work, and Waverly wasn’t sure what the red head needed in terms of support. She was happy to sit back and let Nicole take the lead. She ordered her breakfasts and coffees and made her way to the hospital. Waverly walked onto the ward with the food and saw Chrissy sitting next to her father’s bed. After dishing out the food and coffee, the women waited for the doctor to appear and let them know the plan for today. Chrissy was desperate to get her father’s scans started to find out if the brain swelling had gone down. If it had, there was talk of reducing his sedation and seeing if the sheriff could wake up on his own. Finally, some good news appeared to be heading Chrissy’s way as the Doctor arrived and announced the equipment had been fixed, and they were planning to take Nedley up there this morning to perform a full head CT scan. Chrissy and Waverly were asked to leave so they could prep the sheriff for the move, so Waverly managed to convince Chrissy that they could both do with a walk. Basking in the fresh air, Waverly was channelling every ounce of positivity she had towards the outcome of the scan. Randy Nedley was a fighter, and for the first time in 4 days, even Chrissy felt optimistic. They wandered around the hospital grounds for an hour or so. As they were sitting on a bench near the entrance of the hospital, Waverly saw Wynonna marching towards them. Whilst Wynonna hadn’t always been the most aware of people’s feelings, she had the good grace to address Chrissy first and ask how her father was doing. After a brief update, Wynonna sat down next to her younger sister

‘So… I saw Nicole… that is quite the shiner she’s got this morning’ Wynonna started. Chrissy spun in her seat and looked at the Earp sisters

‘What?! Whose punched her now?!!’ Chrissy asked incredulously. Waverly took a beat before opening up to the two women either side of her. She knew ultimately it wasn’t her fault Champ lost his self-control, but she couldn’t help but feel responsible for it-it was in her nature. Waverly had just finished telling them the whole story when Mercedes Gardner came rushing out of the hospital heading straight for them.

 

Nicole looked like shit. She knew she looked like shit because 20 minutes earlier Wynonna Earp has marched into the station to file her paper work on stupid Carl and had told her in no uncertain terms that she looked like shit. Nicole had been surviving on 2 hours sleep for the last four nights, and she had to admit it was taking its toll on her. She had asked Mike to stay on past his shift so that she could debrief him along with Lonnie about where they go from here. She had looked over the car information sent through, and whilst there were a lot of cars registered, they had been able to narrow it down to 1073 cars registered in the state of Alberta that fit the description. Luckily, they had also been able to whittle down the number of cars that fit the description to within a 50 mile radius of the accident, which left just 7 cars. Nicole’s plan was to go through this list with Lonnie today, and eliminate people as they went. Lonnie walked in with coffee for all of them and the briefing began. Luckily, Mike had already dealt with Champ Hardy and had written up the report, so she at least didn’t have to face him this morning. Her eye was swollen once more and it looked worse because of the bags under her eyes. ‘Yep’ Nicole thought to herself, ‘you look like shit’.

By mid-afternoon, Lonnie and Nicole had ascertained that the red car was owned by a guy from the city that had been at a meeting in Purgatory. The meeting had over run and he was late for another meeting in Calgary, so he had sped once out of town to try and make up some time. It had been a dead end and both officers felt deflated. Nicole needed to get out and get some air, her frustration overtaking her as she marched out onto the street. She sat on a bench at the edge of the park and took her glasses off. She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was starting to lose faith. There were no clues, no witnesses (apart from the one in the coma) and no reasons as to why this had happened. Nicole was sure in her gut that it was all connected to this Tucker Gardner, but there was no evidence to say so. And without evidence, they had nothing. It was so disheartening, but there was nothing she could do. She could try and track down this Gardner guy, but there was no real reason to. Nicole was contemplating going back to the station when her cell started ringing. She looked at the screen and smiled when she saw Wynonna’s name

‘Haughtshit’ was all the brunette said. Nicole laughed at her friend

‘Girl, that’s the first time I’ve laughed for days...What’s up?’

‘Nedley’s just come back from his head scan thingy…’

‘I’m on my way’. The officer hung up before Wynonna had a chance to say anything else, and ran back to the station. She told Lonnie what was happening and asked him to text Mike as she headed out to her cruiser and sped out of the lot. Getting to the hospital in record time and pulling the car into the first space she saw, Nicole rushed through the doors and headed for the ICU. She found Chrissy sitting by Nedley’s bed with Waverly standing behind her and Wynonna leaning against the window with her arms folded. Chrissy stood up and rushed to Nicole, throwing herself into the redheads arms. Nicole wasn’t sure whether it was good news or bad news, so she wrapped her arms around the smaller blonde woman and looked at the Earp sisters. Waverly looked at Nicole and a smile formed on her face

‘The swelling has gone down... they’re going to reduce sedation slowly’. Relief washed over Nicole and she pulled Chrissy in tighter. The redhead held the hug for a couple of beats, then pulled away and smiled down at the sheriffs daughter

‘This is such great news Chris... do they know when he might wake up?’ Chrissy was calmer now, and she walked back to Waverly and took her hand for support

‘They don’t know exactly, they said it could be two or three days, it could be a week-they don’t know how much pain he’s in, so they’re pulling him off it slowly so as not to cause any distress... I’m just so relieved... they said there is still a danger of brain damage, but it’s been greatly reduced’. Nicole exhaled audibly. The doors to the UCI swung open and Mike marched in. Chrissy took one look at him and burst into tears of relief once more whilst throwing herself at her father’s oldest friend. Nicole took this opportunity to make her way over to the Earp sisters, who were still standing at Nedley’s side.

‘How’s it going with the red car?’ Wynonna asked. Nicole was going to have to have another conversation with Lonnie on what was an acceptable amount of information to share with a civilian. She took a side glance at Chrissy and lowered her voice

‘Dead end... just a guy speeding out of town heading to a meeting in the city... it’s just...’ Wynonna looked over at Waverly, and then back at her friend. She realised Nicole needed a sounding board, and she couldn’t do that here, so she suggested they go and get coffee for everyone. Nicole looked over at Chrissy once more then back to the Earp sisters, agreeing to meet Wynonna at the cafeteria once she’d spoken to the doctor. Wynonna pushes herself off the wall and got everyone’s orders before she left the ICU. Nicole watched her go then turned to her attention to Waverly.

‘You look tired... How’s your eye?’ The brunette asked. Nicole smiled down at her and took a tentative step closer to her.

‘Thanks... Wynonna said I looked like shit, so tired is a vast improvement... my eye is fine, just a bit sore-it’ll heal... how about you? You okay?’ Waverly smiled at her and stepped closer so she could play with the zip on Nicole’s jacket. It was a simple action, but one that felt incredibly intimate.

‘Yeah I’m fine, just relieved... I mean, I know he’s not out of the woods, but it feels a bit like we can see the sunshine peaking through...’

‘Yeah, it does a bit... look, I’m going to talk to the doctor then head back to the station... but I’d like to call you later if I may?’ Waverly smiled up at Nicole once more and nodded her head. Nicole had a way of sounding incredibly old fashioned sometimes, and Waverly found it absolutely adorable.

‘I’d like that...’ she replied as she watched Nicole take her hands and raise them to her lips. She closed her eyes and kissed Waverly’s fingertips softly. She then smiled down at her once more and left the ward, saying her goodbyes to Chrissy and Mike as she went. Waverly watched her go and sighed as she sat down next to Nedley.

‘Thank you for finding her’ she said quietly to the sheriff. She then picked up her book and continued to read to him-she didn’t know if it helped or not, but it felt like she was doing something, and whilst the gruff mannered Sheriff would never admit it, she liked to think he would be secretly enjoying it. 

 

Nicole and Wynonna reconvened in the cafeteria. She had spoken to Nedley’s doctor briefly, but he couldn’t tell her any more than she already knew. They sat nursing their coffees. Wynonna looked at her friend and waited for her to start. Wynonna had frequently found herself wanting to speak to Nicole and unsure of how to start, and every time, Nicole had just waited her out. So Wynonna sat back in her chair and did just that.

‘It’s such a fucking mess Wy… We’ve got nothing. Literally nothing. I have an idea of who might want to hurt him, but I have zero evidence to back it up, and I can’t do anything based on a hunch. I need Nedley to wake up, and I need him to remember…’ Nicole blurted out. She knew her tiredness wasn’t helping her stay focussed, but it was so rare she felt dejected, that when she did, it threw her more than it perhaps should. She was an officer of the law, she was a protector, a problem solver, and she had never felt so inadequate in all her life. Wynonna looked at her friend and felt helpless. She didn’t have to words to make this better, nor the information to make it seem less desperate.

‘Nic… when was the last time you ate a proper meal? Or had a shower for longer than 30 seconds?’ Nicole looked up at her friend and frowned.

‘Well… I ate diner food two days ago… and I had a sandwich last night… and I shower every morning and put fresh clothes on’

‘Right. And when was the last time you slept for more than two hours?’ Nicole looked sheepish as she replied with the night she stayed at the homestead. Wynonna nodded her understanding

‘Sometimes, you need to take yourself out of the game in order to get back in the game. Nic, you need a night off, some home cooked food and a decent night’s sleep… I don’t know if I mentioned but…’

‘Yeah, yeah, I know… I look like shit…’

‘So let me help you… Please… You need to regroup, you need to eat some fresh food and babe… you need to wash your hair properly’. Nicole nodded in agreement. She knew Wynonna was right, and whilst she hated that she couldn’t move the investigation forward, she also was aware that Nedley could wake up tomorrow and that could blow the whole case wide open. She looked at her watch and then back at Wynonna.

‘Maybe you’re right… I’ll perhaps try and leave the station tonight and grab some proper sleep. Thanks Wy, you really are the best…’

‘Just call me Christina’. Nicole’s puzzled look made Wynonna laugh ‘you know… to your Meredith…’

‘I love you’ Nicole said. And she meant it. Wynonna smiled slightly then said

‘Now fuck off… I’m busy’. Nicole laughed again and got up from the table, throwing her cup in the nearest bin. She turned back to her friend and said

‘Can you feed Janie again tonight, and I’ll make sure I’m there in the morning to feed her okay? Best I can promise right now… And I’ll make sure I eat some fruit…’

‘Okay, fine-but you can’t get pissed that she likes me more’

‘Fine’ was all Nicole said before smiling and leaving the hospital.

 

By the time Nicole got back to the station, she had formulated a new plan of attack. She didn’t know why, but she had such an uneasy feeling about Tucker Gardner, she was going to go through Nedley’s file piece by piece, and she was going to find out where the hell he was now. Usually she was a stickler for following the evidence, but as she didn’t have any, the only thing Nicole had was her instincts-and they’d never let her down before. She walked back into the station to find Lonnie at his desk, feet up and coffee in hand. He at least had the good grace to jump out of his slum when he saw Nicole enter, but she had clocked the position none the less, and had decided then and there that once 8PM hit, she was going to go home and make Lonnie wait for Mike to come in at 10PM to do the hand over. He begrudgingly accepted his later than planned finish time-certainly once Nicole pointed out that she had pulled 20 hour days for the last 4 (or was that 5?!) days. Nicole went straight to Nedley’s computer and opened up the Gardner folder. She sent all documents to the printer and shut off Nedley’s desktop. She, by rights, was now acting Sheriff, but there was no way she was going to use Nedley’s office, so instead, once she’d poured herself a coffee and collected the printed pages, she headed back to her desk and sat down to start her reading.

Waverly managed to convince Chrissy (with the help of Wynonna, the nurses, a doctor and finally Mike) to go home for the night. The doctors were confident he would not wake tonight, and that she would need to be at full strength for the next few days whilst they waited to see how he responded. Wynonna had invited Chrissy to join them for dinner (apparently Waverly was cooking), but once she had decided she was going home, the tiredness hit her fully and she admitted she just wanted to crawl into her bed and sleep. The Earp sisters went to the store and picked up a chicken, some veg and salad and some fruit. Wynonna was being uncharacteristically healthy, and Waverly couldn’t think why, so whilst they were looking at beer, she decided to just question her older sister as to what had gotten into her

‘Nic needs looking after, so I thought we could cook for her and I’ll go drag her from the station and make her eat’. Waverly would usually be surprised by Wynonna’s behaviour, but the more she’d seen the two women interact, the less surprised she became. Wynonna had found her person (she was a sucker for Greys Anatomy), and whilst Waverly was once nervous that hers and Nicole’s relationship could get in the way, she was quickly realising that it wouldn’t matter what happened between the lovers, Nicole was now a permanent fixture in her sisters life. And she loved that thought more and more with each passing day.

‘So you want me to roast a chicken and vegetables in Nicole’s house without her knowing, and then force her to eat it?’

‘That a problem?’

‘Nope, just checking I had it right’ the younger woman replied as she picked herself a bottle of white wine and a four pack of the beer Nicole liked.

‘What’s the salad for?’ The smaller woman questioned. Wynonna looked at her like she was stupid as she said

‘For her lunch tomorrow to go with the left over chicken’ as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Once the Earps had paid for the food and loaded it all in to Waverly’s Jeep, the sisters agreed to drive separately to Nicole’s place, so Wynonna could go and see Dolls after they’d eaten. She was also aware that Nicole needed to relax, and she didn’t want to be around whilst Waverly helped her do that. ‘Jesus I’m a good friend’ Wynonna thought to herself as she tried to shake the thought of Nicole defiling her little sister away. Wynonna opened up the door and Waverly took the shopping in, heading straight for the kitchen. She put the wine and beer in the fridge, found an apron and set about prepping the chicken. Wynonna followed her into the kitchen and stood behind her, watching her find pans and seasoning

‘If you’re going to just stand there, grab a peeler and do the potatoes’ Waverly said whilst reaching for a chopping board and knife. Wynonna huffed, but was secretly delighted she could help. Gus had wanted to teach them both how to cook when they were younger, but Wynonna denied any interest and left before realising quite what a life skill cooking was. She was not a good cook-but Waverly was, and she was happy to stand beside her and help her little sister however she could.

 

An hour and a half later, the chicken was roasted, along with the potatoes and carrots, and there were greens prepped and ready to go in the steamer when Nic got home. At 7.55PM, Wynonna sent a selfie of herself lying on Nicole’s sofa with Calamity Jane fast asleep on her chest and a beer in her hand. Nicole sent a message back declaring she was leaving now, and her cat better at least welcome her when she got home. Waverly set the pan off to boil so the veg could steam and set the table whilst Wynonna laid on the sofa and continued to scratch Calamity Jane's head. Within ten minutes, Nicole’s cruiser pulled up and she walked into her house. The aroma of cooked chicken hit her nostrils and she looked at Wynonna in disbelief

‘I thought you were kidding... you really CAN cook’

‘What can I say... I’m an enigma...’ the dark haired woman retorted

‘You’re a liar is what you are’ came a voice from the kitchen. Nicole smiled and shook her head

‘I might have known’ she said as she walked into the kitchen, swatting Wynonna’s knees as she passed her on the couch. Waverly turned and faced the red head.

‘Hey’ She said as she smiled, but stayed where she was. Nicole leant against the fridge and looked over at the woman in her kitchen. Yep.... she was a goner...

‘Hey...’ was all she managed in reply. She slowly walked over to the brunette and held the smaller woman’s face in her hands

‘This is perfect... thank you...’

‘I’m merely the chef, this was all Nonna’s idea’ she responded before moving her head slightly and kissing the palm of Nicole’s right hand. They maintained eye contact for a moment before Wynonna unsubtly cleared her throat and skulked into the kitchen

‘We have veg, chicken, gravy and beer... sit down’ she demanded, and Nicole did as she was told. The three of them ate the feast Waverly had prepared, chatting about everything except Randy Nedley. Wynonna laughed when Nicole told her how much of a stripping down she’d given to Champ, and Nicole listened when they talked about the owner of Pussy Willows that Wynonna had been after for quite some time. They laughed at Waverly getting soaked by a beer tap in Shorty’s (although Nicole was secretly relieved to hear no one was around to see the wet t-shirt competition that it inevitably looked like). Eventually, Wynonna declared she had ‘had enough of you two losers’ and was ‘off to find some action’ which both the other women took to mean she was off to see Dolls and she still didn’t want to talk about it. Waverly made Wynonna load the dishwasher and wash the remaining dishes before she left whilst she disappeared upstairs to run Nicole a bath. The banter between the two sisters was palatable and Nicole couldn’t help but feel like she’d found her home. She knew there was a lot her and Waverly needed to talk about. But not tonight. Tonight she would allow herself to be looked after by both the Earp girls, and she will continue her hunt for Tucker Gardner in the morning. Wynonna sloped off as soon as Waverly reappeared from the bathroom. Waverly took Nicole’s hand as soon as she had shut her front door and led the Officer upstairs. She pulled the redhead towards the bathroom and opened the door for older woman to see inside. Candles were strewn all around and there was a fairly deep bath awaiting them. Waverly silently sat Nicole on the edge of the bath and started to unbutton her oversized work shirt. The women remained silent as Waverly undressed first Nicole, then herself. She placed two fresh towels on the edge of the sink, before she turned away from the taller woman and got into the bath. She lay down and signalled for Nicole to join her. At first, Nicole was going to face Waverly, but with some guidance, Waverly got Nicole to face away from her and lie back into her arms. She wrapped her legs around the redheads waist, and reached for some soap so she could start washing the Officer gently. Nicole lay back and allowed herself to be cared for. They didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. Waverly was taking the role of care giver this evening, and Nicole happily obliged. The brunette had already pulled the shower head down, so once she had washed Nicole’s body, she reached up to the bath controls and flipped it onto shower. She warmed the water against her fingers before tipping Nicole’s head back and covering her hair with warm water. The jets felt divine against Nicole’s scalp and as she leant further back into Waverly’s body, she managed to whisper ‘I’m exhausted’. Waverly started to gently massage shampoo into Nicole’s scalp as she soothed back ‘I know baby... I know...’

Eventually, the women had laid in the bath for as long as possible without making their bodies shrivel completely, so Waverly gently pushed Nicole forward so she could get out first and hold a towel out for the redhead. Nicole looked up at Waverly with what Jeremy would call her heart eyes as she slowly stood and took the towel from her lover. Once Waverly had handed the material to Nicole, she wrapped herself in a towel and left the taller woman to clean her teeth and finish her nightly rituals. When Nicole finished, she walked into her bedroom and over to the bedside light to put it on, watching it illuminate the woman on the opposite side of the room. Waverly was wearing an oversized t shirt of Nicole’s and a pair of shorts. She handed Nicole something similar and collected both their towels before disappearing to finish in the bathroom. When she returned, she found Nicole dozing, but still wearing her glasses. Waverly quietly went over to the red head and delicately took her glasses off and switched off her bedside lamp. She crawled into the space next to her on the other side of the bed and switched her light off. Nicole hummed softly and pulled Waverly into her body. She kissed the younger woman where her head had rested on her neck and sighed contentedly

‘Thank you for tonight’ she breathed out. Waverly smiled as she stroked Nicole’s forearm

‘You’re welcome...’ she replied whilst reaching up to Nicole’s hair and running her fingers along the back of the redheads neck. Nicole sighed again and whispered into Waverly’s ear

‘You’re wonderful...’ Waverly smiled and ran her hands further around Nicole’s arms pulling her closer. She felt Nicole’s breathing even out and before long she was fast asleep. Waverly had never been held so tightly, and as she drifted off to sleep, she realised that if knew one thing, it was that she wanted to spend the rest of her life being Nicole’s little spoon.


	9. Chapter nine

Chapter nine

Waverly woke early the next morning with Nicole still wrapped around her. She managed to slowly slide out of the bed and nip to the bathroom. Once she had washed her hands and face, and taken a couple of gulps of water from the sink, she noticed the overflowing laundry basket in the corner. She quietly picked it up and tip toed downstairs to put on a load of washing for the still sleeping officer. It was not even 8AM, and as Nicole was planning to take the night shift tonight to give Mike his allotted evening off, Waverly was careful not to make too much noise. She loaded up the washing machine and then fed Calamity Jane. She made her way back upstairs with a book, and crawled back into bed. She had planned to read quietly next to Nicole and then make the red head breakfast in bed before heading over to Shorty’s for her afternoon shift. Chrissy had been insistent that Waverly stop spending all her time at the hospital and actually return to some semblance of normality, so reluctantly, Waverly had contacted her aunt and informed her she would be available for the late shift. As soon as she got into the bed though, Nicole pulled her in to her and nuzzled her neck. Waverly sighed contentedly, and had only meant to close her eyes for a moment, but Nicole’s peaceful breathing into the crook of her neck lulled her back to sleep, and the couple remained that way for the rest of the morning. Eventually, Nicole opened her eyes to find her head lying on Waverly’s chest with her legs draped over the brunette’s thighs. Waverly was immersed in a book, one arm around Nicole and the other holding her book aloft. Nicole kissed Waverly’s collarbone as she stirred and Waverly turned to smile at her whilst closing her book

‘Good morning’ the smaller woman said, whilst running her fingers through the officer’s hair

‘Hey… what time is it?’ Nicole asked sleepily. Waverly lifted her head to look over Nicole’s head and to the alarm clock on the bed side table

‘It’s quarter to one… you slept for nearly 14 hours Cole…’

‘Jesus… sorry about that…’

‘Don’t be… I’ve rattled through this Michael Connelly you had on your bookshelf… Do you want coffee?’

‘Yeah… no… hang on, let me nip to the loo and come back-don’t move…’ Nicole hopped out of bed and padded into her en-suite. She threw some water over her face to try and wake herself up a bit, then wandered back into her bedroom. She found Waverly right where she’d left her, but sitting up and with Calamity Jane on her lap. Nicole smiled at the sight, and admitted to herself that her heart had skipped a beat. She walked back to the bed and settled back down, propping herself up on her pillows.

‘Did you sleep?’

‘So, so well…’ Waverly replied. ‘Let me get you coffee and breakfast-I made some earlier when you were out for the count’. As Waverly got up to leave, Nicole reached over and stopped her from getting out of the bed. She leant into the brunette and kissed her softly

‘Good morning’ Nicole she breathed out when she pulled away

‘Hello’ Waverly replied as their foreheads connected momentarily. Waverly then jumped out of the bed and made her way downstairs to grab the bowl of fruit she had made and to stick the coffee machine on. She also checked on the clothes in Nicole’s utility, to see if the uniforms she had been cleaning were dry yet. Armed with fruit, yogurt, coffee and the daily newspaper, she walked back upstairs and to the waiting redhead. They chatted together whilst sipping their coffee and eating the fruit-once again avoiding all talk of Nedley. It felt so very domesticated between the women. They fell into a routine they didn’t even know they craved, and as Waverly moved to straddle Nicole’s lap and remove the red heads adorable glasses, they found a need within them that could only be sated by each other. Waverly kissed Nicole passionately and the taller woman responded immediately. The two women were overtaken with a desperation, and before long Nicole had slid her hand up the front of Waverly’s t-shirt and found Waverly’s nipples. She pushed the brunette’s t shirt up so she could lavish pink buds with her tongue whilst Waverly continued to grind down onto the officer’s torso. The movements became frantic and Waverly pulled her shirt off and tossed it aside whilst Nicole helped her out of her shorts. Nicole laid down flat on the bed and encouraged Waverly to continue her grinding upon her face. As Waverly’s orgasm grew closer, Nicole snaked her hands up to the brunette’s nipples again and lightly squeezed. The affect shot waves of pleasure through the younger woman, who had reached behind her to tease Nicole’s entrance with her fingers. As Nicole continued the assault of her tongue upon Waverly’s clit, the smaller woman began to circle Nicole’s swollen bud. The intensity made more so by the stress of the last few days and as Nicole felt Waverly climax into her mouth, she herself felt her body shudder with release, both women coming hard and fast at the same time. Waverly raised herself off Nicole’s face and crumpled on top of the woman beneath her. Nicole enveloped the panting woman, and kissed both of Waverly’s eyes, as she pulled her closer to her. Waverly raised her face towards Nicole and kissed her slowly, moaning slightly as she tasted herself on the redheads lips and tongue. They lay still, breaths becoming steadier, but the intensity still around them. There was an energy between the women that felt more charged, like an unexplained shift had occurred and suddenly the need to be nearer to each other was greater than before. Waverly made to move off Nicole, but the Officer simply wrapped her arms tighter around the smaller woman and whispered in her ear

‘Stay…. Please… just stay here for a few more minutes…’ Waverly wiggled slightly and smiled as she looked Nicole in the eye and agreed not to move. Eventually, Nicole released her grip, and Waverly slid from on top of Nicole to leaning on her side, kissing the older woman as she went.

‘I have to get ready for work-and so do you actually if you’re planning to go in early’ Waverly sighed as she idly stroked patterns on Nicole’s torso with her fingertips.

‘I know… I don’t want to get up’ Nicole replied. And she meant it. She didn’t want to leave her bed-and more importantly, she didn’t want the woman she was currently lying next to, to leave her bed. But she also had things she needed to do. She had gone through the files on Tucker Gardner yesterday, and she was planning to spend the evening putting a tracker onto his phone. She figured her suspicion that he was somehow involved in the attack on the sheriff would be enough to get a trace at least-even if it was only to see if he had been close by on the day of the incident. With this thought, Nicole kissed the top of Waverly’s head and sighed once more.

‘Okay, you’re right… I’m up I’m up… I’m going to take a shower… wanna join me?’

‘I’d love to, but I’d distract you too much and we both have too much to do’ Waverly replied with a smile. Nicole knew the brunette was right, so reluctantly peeled off the bed and headed to the bathroom to have a shower.

When she got out, Nicole walked back into her bedroom to retrieve a uniform from her wardrobe-she realised she didn’t have any clean at the house, so had decided to take a load of washing into the laundrette to get it done whilst she was at work so she dressed in some sweats and padded over to the laundry basket. She frowned when she found it empty, so went down to Waverly to find out whether Wynonna had already dropped stuff off for her at the laundrette. She couldn’t find Waverly in the lounge, so moved into the kitchen, again, finding it empty-but she could hear music and soft singing coming from the utility room. Following the noise, Nicole walked in to the small room, and found Waverly quietly singing along to the radio whilst surrounded by ironed uniforms. It looked like she was finishing off one of the over-sized men’s shirts when Nicole walked in

‘Waves… what are you up to?’ The officer asked with a smile on her face

‘Oh… I did your laundry… you were out of uniforms…’ she said shyly, whilst looking at her feet ‘Is… is that okay?’ she asked nervously

‘Is it okay?! Baby, it’s more than okay… it’s… thank you Waverly’ Nicole replied simply with a huge grin on her face. She walked over to the smaller woman and kissed her softly. Waverly smiled into the kiss

‘I made you a chicken salad to take in tonight-no pickles…’ she said whilst running her hands up to the nape of Nicole’s neck

‘I could get quite used to this you know’ Nicole said. Waverly laughed and walked towards the kitchen

‘I’m going to grab a shower… pay some attention to Janie, she misses you more than you realise…’ and with that, Waverly pecked Nicole on the lips quickly and disappeared upstairs. Nicole watched her go, then walked over to her couch to look at the grumpy feline sitting on one of the cushions. She tentatively sat down next to her cat and was surprised when the orange fur ball allowed her to stroke her on the head. Nicole didn’t want to get carried away, so she just slowly continued to stroke her cat and hoped that she wouldn’t get dismissed by the feline before Waverly came back downstairs.

Before long, Waverly was washed and dressed in a pair of jeans and one of Nicole’s flannel shirts. The redhead blinked at Waverly when she appeared at the bottom of the stairs and slowly ran her eyes up and down the smaller woman

‘You okay there sweetheart?’ Waverly asked, an amused look on her face. Nicole blushed at being caught blatantly checking out the woman in front of her. She thought she could try and hide it, or she could just own it. She went for the latter, and gave the woman her best dimpled smile

‘I’m sorry, I appear to be objectifying you… but fuck me you look good in my clothes’. Waverly laughed and walked over to the door to grab her coat.

‘Right, I have to get to work… I might pop in to see you later when I close up Shorty’s…’

‘I would really like that’ Nicole replied. She stood up and walked over to the smaller woman, once again pulling her in for a hug.

‘Thank you for last night… I really appreciate it… and for letting me sleep today…’

‘Of course…’ Waverly replied, pulling Nicole in tighter. She reached up on her tip toes and kissed Nicole softly on the lips. ‘Have a good day… and don’t forget your salad…’ she said, as she reached for the door and opened it up. Nicole smiled and promised she would have it later at work as she walked Waverly out of her house and over to her trademark red jeep. She watched her drive away before returning to the house to finish getting ready for work. Nicole felt more rested than she had in days, and as she made her way back to the station to catch up with Lonnie, she had a renewed energy towards this whole sorry mess, and she was damned if she was going to let this get the better of her.

 

Shorty’s was its usual quiet self when Wynonna glided into the bar a little after 5PM. Waverly had gotten to work an hour earlier and had the usual spring in her step she got having spent the evening with Nicole. Whilst the eldest Earp wanted to roll her eyes at the peppiness her little sister was emanating, she just couldn’t bring herself to do so-she loved that her sister was so happy, and she loved that Nicole was the one making this happen. Gus was in the back doing the accounts, so Wynonna sat at the bar and waited for Waverly to finish pouring Steve Guppy’s beer before she spoke to her sister. She had been at the homestead last night with Dolls and so was there for the mail this morning. An official looking envelope had arrived for Waverly, and Wynonna had a feeling her sister would want to open it as soon as she could.

‘Thanks baby girl’ Wynonna said as she acknowledged the beer Waverly had just placed in front of her. She reached into the inside pocket of her jacket and pulled out the letter, handing it over to her sister. Waverly looked at the letter and frowned. A realisation then dawned on her, and her whole face lit up with glee as she tore open the envelope and pulled out a letter and what looked like two tickets.

‘It’s my graduation tickets!’ she squealed, as she opened the folded letter with a flourish and read it quickly. Wynonna sat watching her sister with an immense sense of pride filling her

‘GUS!’ Wynonna called through the opened door to the back. The grey haired woman appeared a couple of moments later with her glasses perched on the end of her nose scowling at her eldest niece

‘Wynonna, I’m busy what the hell you yelling about’ Gus barked as she stood in the office doorway. Waverly spun round to look at her aunt whilst waggling two tickets in front of her

‘My graduation tickets came through!!’ Waverly announced excitedly. She flung herself at her aunt and then ran round the bar to squeeze the life out of her sister. Waverly had worked up to this moment for what felt like her entire life, and she knew that when she graduated in a couple of months, Wynonna and Gus would be by her side. Wynonna held her sister tightly and listened as Waverly started planning how the day was going to go, and what role her sister and her aunt would play in that day. After offering (Wynonna knew it was actually a demand, but wasn’t going to argue with the little fire ball) to keep the tickets safe, Waverly sat on the stool next to her sister. Wynonna got up, walked round the bar and reached for three shot glasses. She then poured the three women a shot of whisky and handed them out

‘To baby girl… the best damn Earp there ever was’ Wynonna toasted whilst holding the drink aloft. Gus followed the action and the three of them downed their drink.

‘Right, I’ve got to get a dress and shoes and probably a new bag-although you could hold my bag for me couldn’t you Nonna?’ Waverly continued to talk at lightning speed and was only stopped by the ringing of her phone. She saw the name on the screen and frowned before answering quickly

‘Chrissy…. You okay?’ there was a beat before Waverly looked up and fixed her eyes on Wynonna. She hung up the phone soon after and turned to both the women standing and watching her

‘Nedley… he’s… he’s awake’

 

Nicole had been writing a detailed report on Tucker Gardner and why she thought he was involved in Nedley’s accident when Lonnie burst through the bull pen.

‘He’s awake… Nedley’s awake’ he said. Nicole looked up from her computer and then stood almost immediately

‘What?! Shit… right… okay… I’m going to the hospital… Lonnie… Stay here’ Nicole reached for her hat and keys, and rushed out of the station. Once again, she found herself hurtling towards the hospital with more speed than should be used by the officer of the law. She parked up and raced towards the ward. A nurse she had never seen before was at the nurse’s station when she entered the ICU. Chrissy was sitting next to her father holding his hand and his eyes were fixed on her. She was talking so softly, Nicole couldn’t hear what was being said, so she turned back to the new nurse.

‘How’s he doing?’ she asked, not really knowing what to expect.

‘So far, so good. We removed the breathing tube about 20 minutes ago, so his throat is still sore and talking is limited, but from what we can tell, he’s in a good place. He recognised his daughter, which is a blessed relief…’ Nicole exhaled audibly and nodded her agreement. Chrissy caught Nicole’s eye and beckoned for her to join her at Nedley’s bedside. She walked over to Chrissy and looked down at her boss. He looked tired, but he was awake and looking at his deputy with an odd expression on his face

‘I know you have to ask me things Haught’ he started, but then began a coughing fit that didn’t subside for at least 30 seconds. Chrissy reached for water in a beaker on the side table and offered it to her father. He gratefully took the straw into his mouth and sipped gently.

‘It’s okay, I can come back later sir-I just wanted to see you for myself…’ Nicole knew she needed to ask Nedley what he remembered, but he looked so weak that she was almost tempted to say she’d return the next day. But the Officer in her was stronger and she knew that the conversation needed to happen sooner rather than later.

‘No, no… let’s get this over with… Chrissy, can you give us a minute please…’ Chrissy nodded her ascent, even if she wasn’t happy about it. She looked pointedly at Nicole

‘Ten minutes. Then I’m back’. Nicole smiled at the brunette and nodded her agreement.

‘Thanks Chrissy… I’ll be as quick as I can…’ Chrissy nodded at Nicole, seemingly satisfied and left the two law enforcers alone. Nicole took a seat next to her mentor and looked him in the eye.

‘What do you remember?’ She asked, praying the sheriff will have something for her

‘Not a damn lot… I went out on patrol, and that’s all I’ve got… Doctors say it might be temporary amnesia, but in truth… I got nothing…’ The man next to her looked defeated. Nicole reached for his hand and squeezed it. She had always been a tactile person, but never towards the man lying in front of her. This didn’t deter the young Officer as she smiled down at him and sighed.

‘It’s okay, we didn’t know what to expect, so it’s not a disappointment’ she lied. She had been hoping for something concrete, anything she could investigate, but she also knew to pin her hopes on a man’s memory when he had just awoken from a coma was futile.

‘Tell me about Tucker Gardner’ she asked hastily-knowing full well Chrissy was going to be loitering outside. Nedley sighed and closed his eyes

‘You found the file?’

‘And I spoke to Mike. I know about the voyeurism… is that all it is? Or do you have more?’

‘I have no evidence… but I have a good gut Nicole, and I trust it… there is something off about that boy…’

‘Does he know you were tracking him?’

‘He had a hunch, but he’s a clever son of a bitch… never actually DID anything to warrant me pulling him in…’

‘My gut tells me he’s involved but I can’t think why he would step it up so violently… you can’t remember anything?’ She asked again, hoping their conversation might have wiggled something loose in the older man’s memory. But he just shook his head and peered out of the window to his right. She stood and laid her hand upon his shoulder to bring his attention back to her.

‘Leave it with me Sir, We’ll find them’

‘I have no doubt in my mind Haught, that if anyone can-it’s you’ he replied with a small smile. Nicole heard the doors swing open and the tell-tale sign that Chrissy was approaching. The redhead turned back to her friend and smiled warmly

‘I’m going, I’m going’ she said whilst holding her hands up in surrender ‘Get some rest Sir, I’ll be back soon’ Nicole said, she then turned and walked back out to her car. She sat in the driver’s seat for a moment, frustration boiling under her skin. Lost in her own thoughts, she was surprised by the knocking on her window and with Wynonna’s face looking at her through the glass. Nicole wound the window down and smiled at her friend

‘You look better than yesterday’ Wynonna said, not quite making it sound like a compliment

‘You say the nicest things… You here to see Nedley?’

‘Just dropping Waves off, I’m heading back to Shorty’s to help Gus out behind the bar so Waves can stay here. How’s he doing?’

‘He’s good… he can’t remember a thing, but it could be temporary…’

‘Okay, well I gotta get back-lemme know if you need anything…’ Wynonna said, before disappearing back to her truck and heading back to Shorty’s. Nicole took a deep breath, then said ‘Fuck it’ to herself, as she started her cruiser and headed out of the hospital.

 

Twenty minutes later, Nicole was parked up outside a large double fronted house on the outskirts of town. She sat in her cruiser for a couple of minutes, trying to formulate how she was going to approach her next actions. Deciding to go with honesty, Nicole got out of her car and walked up to the heavy oak door in the centre of the house. She rang the bell and waited. The door opened, and Beth Gardner stood in front of her, a smile broadly across her face as she saw Nicole standing in front of her

‘Hey Nicole… what do I owe the pleasure?’ Nicole shifted onto her hip and smiled at the woman in front of her. She liked Beth-she found her slightly intense, but it seemed to Nicole that her heart was in the right place.

‘Hey Beth, how’s it going?’ She asked politely. Beth must have known that Nicole was just being polite, so didn’t prolong the conversation any further

‘I’m good thanks… What can I do for you?’

‘I need to talk to you about Tucker…’ Beth frowned slightly, then exhaled, a look of resignation on her face.

‘You better come in’ the brunette said, whilst holding the door open further so Nicole could follow her inside.

The house was lighter than Nicole expected. From the outside it looked slightly ominous, but inside it was light and airy. Nicole followed Beth into the kitchen where she was offered coffee from a freshly brewed pot. Ordinarily, Nicole would politely decline, but something told her the friendlier she was to Beth, the more information she would get, so she graciously accepted a cup and took a seat opposite the brunette at the kitchen island

‘So… what’s my little brother done now?’ Beth asked, seemingly wanting to cut to the chase

‘I just want to chat to him, he’s not in any trouble…’

‘Is this about Waverly again?’ She asked, an exasperated sigh escaping her lips

‘No, not at all… at least not that I know of… why do you ask?’

‘Oh come off it Nicole, everyone knows his obsession with her’

‘Well I’ve not had a complaint made, so it’s not a police matter…’

‘Just because she won’t complain, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be monitored though… you know he broke us up… he was too much… We never stood a chance…’

‘Well I’m sorry to hear that Beth, but again, that’s not what this is about… I just need to talk to him about something…’ Nicole replied, feeling more awkward than she should. Beth sighed once more and took a sip of coffee

‘Well he’s not here, and hasn’t been for a while’ she said dismissively

‘Any idea where he is?’ Nicole asked, trying not to sound sceptical

‘Nope, it’s not like we keep in touch…’

‘Okay, well thanks Beth… if you do speak to him, can you get him to call me please’ She said whilst handing Beth one of her business cards and making her way to the front door.

‘What about if I wanted to call you?’ Beth said seductively. Nicole turned and faced the brunette

‘look Beth, I’m flattered, honestly I am, but I’m kind of involved with someone and I’d like to see where it’s going… it wouldn’t be fair to go out with you when I have no intention of taking it further… I’m sorry…’ Beth nodded her head in understanding

‘I understand… she’s quite a girl… take it from someone who knows…’ Nicole smiled and said her goodbyes. She walked back to her cruiser with the feeling like she was being watched. Wanting to look like she wasn’t suspicious, Nicole got into her squad car and started it up. As she pulled away from the house, she stole a glance at the Gardner's house, and as she started to drive away, she could have sworn someone was standing in the front room watching her go.

Beth watched Nicole Haught drive away before turning on her heel and heading down to the basement of her house. She got to the bottom of the stairs and knocked on the locked door. A flurry of noise happened behind the door before a couple of locks turned and the door opened. Beth looked at the man in front of her and shook her head

‘What the fuck have you done now…’

 

‘You gave us quite a scare old man’ Wynonna said quietly to the sleeping man in front of her. She had gone to pick up Waverly and had decided to go in and see the sheriff for herself-but when she got there, the nurse explained that Chrissy and her sister had disappeared to the café to get coffee, so Wynonna decided to wait for them to get back. She and Nedley had had a tempestuous relationship over the years, but she loved him, and wanted to see him alive and well

‘Wasn’t my intention Earp’ came a reply she wasn’t expecting

‘Jesus Nedley, you scared the shit out of me… give a girl some warning… how are you feeling?’ She asked tentatively. He opened his eyes and smiled weakly

‘About as good as I look…’ he replied dryly. Wynonna smiled at him and sat down next to him

‘you and me both son’. Nedley barked out a laugh at the term of endearment

‘Thanks for looking after Chrissy, she said you’ve both been great’

‘It was all Waverly’

‘She said it was both of you… you calling my girl a liar?’ Nedley said with a slight smile on his face

‘This doesn’t mean I like you’ Wynonna said, winking at the bed ridden police officer. He laughed once more and considered the matter closed. Neither of them were one for small talk, and Wynonna was relieved that her sister had returned at that moment

‘Hey Nonna… she didn’t wake you did she Sir?’ Waverly asked once at the foot of the bed

‘Waverly, your sister has stopped me from sleeping for the last 15 years, why would now be any different?’ He replied with a smirk. Wynonna stood and over to the two women

‘Come on, I got places to be’ Wynonna said, getting her keys out of the pocket of her trademark leather jacket. The three women said their goodbyes and just as they got to the door Nedley called out to Wynonna

‘Hey Earp… send Xavier my regards’ he said with a shit eating grin on his face. Wynonna threw a steely glance at her sister and Chrissy before turning back to him

‘Fuck off Nedley’ she said sternly, but with a smile and a wink that only he could see

‘NONNA’ Waverly chided

‘Don’t think I’m done with either of you two, now come one, out..’ she barked whilst marching them all out to the truck.

 

Waverly crept into the police station just as she saw Nicole Haught throw down the phone receiver in frustration. She watched the redhead let out a frustrated sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose-something Waverly had noticed the officer did when she was particularly wound up. Nicole then leant back in her chair and closed her eyes. Waverly saw this as her opportunity to make her presence known, so she silently walked over to the older woman and slipped her arms around her shoulders and kissed Nicole’s temple. Nicole let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and pulled Waverly’s arms tighter around her.

‘Hello…’ Waverly said breathily in Nicole’s ear, causing the older woman to shiver slightly at the affect

‘You feel nice… How was work?’ Nicole asked. Waverly slipped round Nicole’s body and then sat on her lap, keeping her arms round the Officer’s neck.

‘I was barely there, Chrissy phoned so I headed off to the hospital-Nonna took over for me… she’s really rather good at it actually…’ Waverly replied whilst leaning their foreheads together. Nicole slinked her arms around Waverly’s waist and pulled her closer.

‘Wave’s… I need to ask you something…’ Nicole started. She honestly didn’t care about Waverly’s history with Beth Gardner, but she needed to know whether she was aware of the photos and also of Beth’s declaration that Tucker was the one to split them up. Trying to build a profile on someone meant you needed all of the information, however awkward it was to ask.

‘That sounds ominous’ Waverly replied as she lifted herself off Nicole’s lap and perched on the edge of the desk. Nicole stood and took a step back from Waverly, so that they were facing each other comfortably.

‘You and Beth Gardner… how serious was it?’

‘What? Why?’ Waverly asked, a puzzled expression on her face

‘Because I had to have a conversation today about her brother Tucker, and you… came up…’ Nicole said, looking Waverly in the eye

‘About Tucker? God, I haven’t seen him for ages… Why were you talking to Beth about Tucker?’

‘Waverly, please just answer the question…’

‘Why?’ Nicole took a deep breath. She couldn’t talk to Waverly about her suspicion’s, it would be crossing a professional line she wasn’t prepared to cross.

‘Because I need to speak to Tucker, and when I asked Beth where he was, she asked if this was about you. She mentioned the reason you and her split up was because of him…’

‘What on earth has that got to do with anything? Nicole, what’s going on?’

‘Waverly, please, I can’t talk about it’

‘Well then it’s none of your fucking business’

‘Waverly… come on… this is my job…’

‘And this is my life Nicole. If there is an issue concerning me and Tucker Gardner, I have the right to know, and if there’s not, then why the hell is an officer of the law discussing my personal life with someone?’ Waverly said. Nicole was not expecting this kind of reaction, and truth be told, she didn’t really understand it either. She just wanted to know the background, she wasn’t judging her.

‘Hey… where has this come from? I’m literally asking you about something I think happened at least 4 years ago…’ Nicole said calmly, trying to keep hold of the conversation

‘Why are you asking?’ Waverly barked back

‘Jesus Waverly, I told you… I asked Beth about Tucker and SHE asked if you were involved-I just want to know why…’

‘Is it a police matter?’

‘I’m not sure if I’m honest-I was hoping you could enlighten me informally without having to pull you in for an interview, but clearly I was wrong…’ Nicole said a little sterner than she had intended. The tone of voice had an effect on Waverly, but not the one Nicole was hoping for. The brunette stood up and looked Nicole in the eye before she said

‘Well you just let me know when you do know, and we can arrange an official interview. Have a good evening Officer’ Waverly said. She then turned away from Nicole and walked out of the station. Nicole stood by her desk and blinked.

‘What the hell was THAT’ she said to no-one in particular. Nicole could have gone after Waverly, and was about to when Mercedes Gardner walked in to the station and stood at the front desk. Nicole took a deep breath and shifted her focus back to her job. She knew Waverly had over reacted, and she was pretty sure Waverly knew that too, so for now, she left her to it, and decided to call into the

Homestead at the end of her shift in the morning and try and smooth things over.

‘Hi Mercedes, you okay? It’s pretty late’ Nicole said as she approached the front desk

‘I hear you’ve been asking about my brother’ Mercedes said flatly. Nicole frowned slightly and stood tall behind the desk

‘Just routine, nothing to worry about’ The Officer said-hoping the woman opposite her couldn’t tell she was lying

‘I think there’s something you should see…’ The nurse said. She turned back towards the front door and started to leave. Nicole grabbed her coat and hat, flicked the phones to go direct to her cell and followed the eldest Gardner out into the street.

‘Where are we headed?’ Nicole asked as Mercedes stood near her cruiser. Mercedes was about to speak when she heard someone approaching behind her. Nicole turned to see Waverly standing in the middle of the road

‘Nicole…’ Waverly said, her voice small. Nicole held up her finger

‘one sec…’ She then turned to Mercedes as she unlocked her cruiser ‘I’ve just got to deal with something Mercedes, do you mind hopping in and we’ll get going in a minute?’ Mercedes looked at Nicole and then at Waverly, she shrugged and got into the front of the police car. Nicole turned back to Waverly and sighed.

‘I’m… I’m sorry…’ The brunette said ‘I just… when you’ve spent your life being gossiped about, it’s hard to not take it personally… I’m sorry-I sometimes forget that I haven’t known you longer…’ As Waverly finished her apology, everything clicked in Nicole’s head and she understood where the reaction had come from.

‘Hey, it’s okay Waves… I get it… But I got to go and deal with something…’ Nicole replied softly. The women were standing closer to each other now, so Nicole reached up to Waverly’s cheek and stroked it softly.

‘We’ll speak later okay?’ Nicole said. Waverly nodded and leant into the touch

‘Okay… be safe…’ she said whilst she kissed the palm of Nicole’s hand and turned back towards Shorty’s. Nicole opened the door to her cruiser and slid in behind the wheel.

‘Sorry about that Mercedes… So… where we heading?’ Nicole asked whilst starting the cruiser and flipping the dash cam on. She didn’t technically need to do that, but ever since Nedley’s accident, she wasn’t willing to take any chances.

‘My house’ was all Mercedes said. Nicole felt uneasy, but she shook the feeling off. She did, however text Lonnie and let him know where she was headed, in case she wasn’t there for the shift change in a couple of hours. She was surprised when her phone buzzed and she saw Lonnie had replied saying he would got to work earlier than planned, just so they were covered, and to keep her radio on just in case. His ETA to work was half an hour, and she was going to be in the car for 15 minutes, so she felt a lot safer than she had thirty seconds ago.

The drive to the Gardner's was uneventful, Nicole tried small talk, but Mercedes was distracted and didn’t really respond to Nicole’s chatter. They pulled up outside the imposing house, and Mercedes went to get out of the car, but Nicole reached across and stopped her

‘Mercedes, what’s going on?’

‘My brother has been camping out in our basement. When Beth said you’d come over to ask about him, she suspected he had been up to his old photography tricks, so she went to talk to him. He wouldn’t let her in, so she left it, and waited for me to get off shift so we could both talk to him. He’s disappeared, but he’s locked the basement and we can’t get it open. If he’s been pestering Waverly, we didn’t want to tamper with evidence or whatever, so we thought the best thing would be to call you guys in and see for yourself’

‘Okay… I’m going to have to break the door down-you alright with that?’ Nicole asked. Mercedes shrugged

‘He ruined any chance Beth had of happiness, as far as I’m concerned you can burn the whole basement down’

‘What do you mean he ruined any chance of happiness?’ Nicole asked

‘Beth has been in love with Waverly Earp since the eighth grade. They were a thing for a while, but Tucker put a stop to it with his weird obsession and his photos. Waverly never saw it as a big deal, but to Beth, it was everything… she’s never gotten over it…’ Nicole nodded her head in understanding.

‘Okay… I’m going to phone Lonnie and get him to accompany me-we don’t know what’s down there, and if there is anything incriminating, we need to keep it above board and not cut corners’

Twenty minutes later Lonnie was standing next to Nicole at the entrance to the Gardner's basement. They had a battering ram with them and in three swings, Nicole had the door open. Both officers put on rubber gloves, and as Nicole switched the light of the basement on, she took an intake of breath. The room was quite large and there was a bed in the far corner, along with various clothes strewn about. It smelt like adolescence, and the mess created in the space was also reminiscent of that of a teenage boy. What caught Nicole’s attention immediately were the three walls full of photos of Waverly Earp. Every wall was adorned with a different black and white shot of the brunette. The photos were candid, and it was clear Waverly had no idea they were being taken. The time line looked to span over the last 8 months, with the seasons changing behind her.

‘Jesus Christ’ Lonnie said behind Nicole. This wasn’t just a harmless crush. This was stalker territory. Tucker Gardner was clearly obsessed with Waverly to an unhealthy level, and the photos became more and more personal. It started with Waverly and Champ kissing at a rodeo, them having dinner at the diner and Waverly laughing, her head back as Champ was smiling at her, Champ and her holding hands at the town picnic. But then the photos changed and there were photos of Champ grabbing Waverly by the arm, Champ with his finger in Waverly’s face, Champ grabbing Waverly by the face in the alleyway outside Shorty’s and then there were the ones that made Nicole want to throw up. It was a succession of photographs that started with Champ looking furious and then he was pulling back his arm and taking a fist to Waverly’s stomach. It was a record of a seemingly harmless relationship turning into an abusive one. There were also photos of Nedley talking to Waverly, his hands softly on her arm, one of him talking to Champ in what looked like an official capacity. There were one’s of Wynonna grabbing Champ by the face out the back of Shorty’s, one of Wynonna with her arm around Waverly as she was wiping away tears. And then Nicole saw photos of herself with Waverly. Nicole saying goodbye to Waverly their first morning together, one of Nicole leaning against the door at Shorty’s with her sunglasses on looking at Waverly and smiling. There was one of Nicole and Waverly kissing at the Homestead the first night she’d stayed there. Tucker Gardiner had what must have been over 300 photos of Waverly Earp.

‘Holy shit…’ Mercedes said from behind Nicole. She turned to Mercedes and looked her in the eye

‘You had no idea it was this bad?’ Mercedes swallowed and said she had no clue. Beth had also come into the room and taken stock of what was adorning the walls.

‘He put his car into a shop in Calgary’ Beth suddenly said. Nicole turned to face her, a stony look in her eye

‘When?’ The Officer asked, but she already knew the answer.

‘Last week… the day… the day they found Randy Nedley’. Nicole was out of the basement and on the phone almost immediately. She had woken up the town Judge and got him to agree to an arrest warrant for Tucker Gardner to be issued, and she had Mike join Lonnie at the Gardner's to bag and tag all the photos to take into evidence. She then made her way back to the station to start the process of trying to find Tucker Gardner.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I keep adding chapters to this-but I can't help it!!
> 
> For some reason I'm really nervous about this chapter...
> 
> Thanks so much for all your kind words and encouragement-means so much to have all your support

Chapter ten

 

The next ten days went in a blur. Nicole issued the warrant out to Alberta State and tracked down the garage Tucker had used to get his car fixed. She, Mike and Lonnie worked round the clock hunting down leads and sightings and whilst there were some promising things coming out from neighbouring towns, nothing concrete had been found. Nicole still couldn’t shake the feeling that Tucker would not have gone far-his weakness was Waverly Earp after all, and she hadn’t left Purgatory. Because Nicole had this nagging feeling he was closer than they all initially thought, she, Lonnie and Mike decided to concentrate on farms and wasteland in and around Purgatory. Tuckers last known sighting was picking his car up from the shop the day Nicole had gone round to talk to Beth. Whilst Nicole couldn’t blame Beth, (after all, she didn’t know what her brother had been up to) she couldn’t help but feel that Beth might have given her brother a head start. Nicole was sitting at her desk in the middle of a Thursday afternoon going through a pile of photographs they had taken from the Gardner's basement when Wynonna walked in and headed for the bull pen. Nicole quickly closed the folder that was holding the photos and looked up at her friend.

‘Hey Haughtdamn… we’re having a party for Waves Saturday night at Shorty’s… you gotta come’

‘Okay, first off, why are you having a party for Waverly and secondly, can you not see how swamped we are?’

‘Well, Waverly got her degree results this morning so we’re celebrating. And I know you’re busy, but as her… whatever you are… you need to at least show your face, even if it is pale and tired looking’

‘Waverly and I are not putting a label on what we are’ Nicole retorted. ‘And I am fully aware I look like shit, but I’m too busy to give a fuck’

‘Okay, well you and Waverly can dance around with your “we’re not labelling it”, but as your friend, and as her sister, I implore you to put a fucking label on it and stop dicking about’

‘I don’t have time for this Wynonna…’

‘Don’t I know it! You don’t call, you don’t write…’ Wynonna said dramatically whilst clutching her hand to her chest. ‘What is it you’re working on anyways…?’ She asked, curiosity getting the better of her

‘Nope, no, no, no, no… I’m not telling you’ Nicole said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Wynonna sighed and picked herself up off Nicole’s desk.

‘Okay, well phone baby girl and congratulate her at least, and please try and come to celebrate-she’d appreciate it more than you realise’

‘I’m going to phone right now okay… and I will TRY and get there-but I can’t promise anything… now fuck off, I’m busy…’

‘You’re always busy’

‘Get OUT Wynonna’ Nicole said exasperatedly. Wynonna winked and walked out of the station flipping the finger to the redhead as she went. Nicole smiled as she watched her friend leave. She knew that she had neglected the Earp sisters since the revelation of Tucker Gardner, but she knew that they both got it. Nicole had finally caught a break, and whilst no one really knew who was being hunted, they did know that Nicole was leading the chase. Nicole also had to admit to herself that she had been affected by the photos she had seen of Waverly. Not of the ones of her and Champ being happy, but of the abuse. Wynonna obviously didn’t know about it, and if Wynonna didn’t know, then Nicole felt very uneasy about knowing and not informing Waverly. It felt like a violation of her privacy, and Nicole didn’t really know how to approach the subject. She decided to walk over to Shorty’s and see if the youngest Earp was working. She grabbed her hat and made her way across the street to the bar. Opening the door, she was delighted to see Waverly behind the bar pulling a pint and chatting to stupid Carl about something. She watched the animated brunette for a minute from the doorway, until Waverly looked up and caught her watching. Nicole looked down a little embarrassed, then walked over to smaller woman with a smile.

‘Hey stranger…’ Waverly said as she smiled and leant across the bar to stroke Nicole’s arm.

‘Hey… Sorry, work has been crazy… Thanks for looking after Janey-I’m a terrible owner…’ Nicole said whilst smiling at the touch

‘Want something to eat?’

‘You read my mind’ Nicole answered as she sat down wearily at the bar. Waverly put an order in for a burger and fries and then poured Nicole a large club soda. The red head took it gratefully and drank almost half the glass in one-not realising how thirsty she was.

‘So… I hear you have some news…’ Nicole said to the woman opposite her. Waverly looked at her sheepishly and smiled

‘I… I got a first…well… I actually got a double first’ She said whilst trying to hide how happy she was. Nicole placed her glass down on the bar and stood up. She walked behind the bar and pulled Waverly into the kitchen before wrapping her in a tight hug

‘That’s incredible Waves’ she said into the top of Waverly’s head. Waverly wrapped her arms around the taller woman and squeezed her back. She then looked up at Nicole and smiled

‘Thanks… I’m really pleased…’

‘You should be! I’m delighted for you baby’ Nicole said, looking through the port hole out into the bar and then back to the woman in her arms-and that’s when she saw him. Someone was watching them through a small window in the kitchen. Before Waverly knew what was happening, Nicole was sprinting out of the fire door at the back of the kitchen and down the alleyway behind Shorty’s shouting to Waverly to get Lonnie as she disappeared. Waverly rushed out to see what the hell was happening, but could only make out Nicole at the end of the alley as she rounded the corner to the left and onto the industrial estate that ran behind the back of Shorty’s. Waverly ran over to the station to find Lonnie or Mike and let them know what had happened. Finding both men in the break room, she explained what had happened and then watched as both men jumped into action. Mike grabbed a phone and dialled a number furiously and barked something about finding the suspect and demanding EMT support. He then turned to Waverly and thanked her for the information before basically dismissing her. She walked back to Shorty’s a little dazed, but returned to the bar and continued her shift-only occasionally nipping out to the alley to see if she could see or hear anything out of the ordinary. 

 

Nicole’s feet set off immediately after seeing his face. She knew she was fit, and wasn’t worried about losing her pace-she was more concerned about losing Gardner amongst the buildings in the abandoned industrial estate. She didn’t know the estate at all, so was heading in there blind. It was a large expanse, filled with abandoned warehouses and shipping containers, all having been left alone years ago when the logging industry moved on from Purgatory to the next town along. Purgatory was a small town, and they didn’t have the man power needed to run such a large operation, so the business had been upped and moved, taking most of the town’s money with it. She watched Gardner disappear into a warehouse to her left, and as she approached the door, not 30 seconds behind him, she drew her weapon. She radioed her location in to Lonnie and Mike and then entered the warehouse. Nicole was grateful for the large windows that ran down both sides of the building, illuminating the inside. Gardner was nowhere to be seen, but there were wooden pallets with bricks stacked on them dotted across the floor

‘Tucker… Come on… I just want to talk to you…’ Nicole shouted out. She heard a rustling to her right and swung round towards the noise.

‘Tucker… Don’t make this worse than it already is… Come on… talk to me…’ She says again, keeping her voice calm (even if she is really not very calm)

‘I haven’t done anything wrong… go away…’ Tucker shouts back from the far left of the warehouse. Nicole starts to inch forward, keeping herself as covered as she can as she advances.

‘Look, I know you were just trying to look after her okay… I know the photos were for good use…’

‘I told Nedley everything… but he didn’t believe me… told me I was a creep… that I needed to stop following her…. But I knew, no one else did, but I knew what he was doing to her…’

‘I know Tucker, I saw the photos… I know you were trying to help… so why don’t you come out here and talk to me…’ Nicole didn’t believe a word she was saying-Tucker was an obsessive, but he needed help, and whilst Nedley should have listened about the domestic abuse, if Waverly wasn’t the one coming to the police, there was actually little they could do about it from a police point of view. Nicole was pretty sure she had Gardner on her side, but what she wasn’t expecting was the gun he had. So when she announced she was putting her gun away and was going to walk out into the open space, she believed this would calm him down. She did not expect the gun shot that rang out, and the pain in her chest as she hit the ground. Luckily for Nicole she was wearing a bullet proof vest (standard operating procedure) so whilst it stung like a bitch, she was only going to come away with bruises. What happened next was almost in slow motion- Lonnie and Mike both appeared at the back of the warehouse and shot Tucker Gardner twice in quick succession. He went down like a sack of potatoes, but the Officers had used their heads before shooting, so one bullet went into the back of Gardner’s leg, and one bullet missed him completely. Nicole was 99% certain that Lonnie had missed, but right now that didn’t matter-they needed him alive and they needed him arrested quickly. Gardner let out a high pitched scream as he went down, and as Nicole got to her feet and looked over at her colleagues, she was eternally grateful she had these guys on her side.

 

The first thing Waverly heard were the sirens of the ambulances as they hurtled past Shorty’s. She went back out to the back alley to see if she could hear anything else, and that’s when she heard three gun shots. First one, and then two in quick succession. Her blood ran cold and she went back into the bar to grab her phone and call Wynonna. Her sister answered on its fourth ring with her usual ‘sup’. Waverly explained everything as quickly and concisely as she could, and when she had finished, Wynonna had already left wherever she was and was on her way to the bar. Shorty’s wasn’t busy yet, but the patrons that were there had all heard the shots and started to make their way outside to see what all the commotion was. Wynonna appeared five minutes later with Dolls in tow.

‘Nicole… she ran off to the warehouses chasing someone… oh God Nonna, there were shots…’ Waverly said as soon as Wynonna entered the bar. The eldest Earp turned to Dolls, who took off towards the estate immediately, whilst Wynonna stayed with her sister. What felt like an eternity passed before Wynonna’s phone rang and Dolls announced that Nicole had been shot, but that she was wearing a vest and would be fine. He said he didn’t know any other details, other than they think they’ve found the person responsible for Sheriff Nedley’s attack. The Earp sisters sat down together at the bar and breathed for what felt like the first time in half an hour.

‘She’s okay… Fuck…’ was all Wynonna managed to say. Waverly nodded her head but stayed silent. She walked round the bar and grabbed a bottle of whisky and two glasses. She wordlessly poured two large measures for her and Wynonna and the two women sat side by side sipping their drinks, neither women willing to contemplate how they would feel had Nicole Haught not been wearing her vest.

 

Nicole Haught was pissed. She had a burning sensation on her chest that she shouldn’t have, because she should never put herself into the position where she could get shot in the first place. Lonnie had gotten to her first whilst Mike went straight to Gardner and assessed the damage to the back of his leg. The EMT’s were on hand immediately, having been summoned by Mike before he left for the estate, so they went straight to the gunshot wound to try and stop the bleeding. Mike performed the perfect shot (if there could be such a thing) he had aimed for the back of the leg, missed any arteries and caused a flesh wound. Whilst Gardner will be in pain, he was in no danger, and could be bandaged and questioned fairly quickly. Nicole was on her feet and trying to catch her breath before the paramedics even got round to her, so with a quick check, she was given the go ahead to follow the ambulance to the hospital so they could get Gardner seen to before questioning began. Because Gardner was accused of attacking the local Sheriff, Nicole and Judge McKinnley had both discussed, and agreed, to get local guys from Cranbrook to question Tucker Gardner when he was eventually captured. She and Mike went to the hospital to wait for the new law enforcement to arrive whilst Lonnie went back to the station to start on his report of the afternoons events. There would have to be an enquiry on the shooting, so all paper work had to be completed to absolute precision so there was no room for doubt. Whilst all three officers had tried to pick up the slack left by being a man down, there was no denying they were stretched-and now they had their prime suspect in custody, Nicole was relieved they could draft in a couple of officers from a different station to cover the investigation so the three of them could get back to some semblance of normality.

As Mike and Nicole sat in the waiting area, Mike decided to broach a subject with Nicole he had been nervous to raise

‘So… as we’re here… Why don’t you check on Randy-I know he’d like to see you’ the older officer said tentatively

‘No I’m good here-but you can go and say hello if you want-I know you see him most days…’

‘Nicole…’ Mike started but Nicole cut him off

‘I can’t Mike… I’m still so… pissed with him…’ She said, anger laced in her voice

‘You need to talk to him Nicole-he’s coming out soon and will be back at work before you know it… you can’t keep this locked up…’ Nicole sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew Mike was right, and whilst they were waiting for the re-enforcements, she may as well get this conversation over with. But first, she needed to let Waverly know she was okay. She had seen Dolls at the warehouse, and had asked him to let both Earp’s know she was fine, but she also knew she owed Waverly a phone call. She agreed to go and talk to Nedley, and as she walked towards his room, she pulled out her cell and dialled Waverly’s number. The brunette answered within two rings

‘Nicole!’ Waverly practically shouted down the receiver

‘Hey Waves… I’m fine okay, I promise… just bruising…’

‘What the hell has been going on? I heard gun shots, and people are saying Tucker Gardner shot you…’

‘Well… he did, but I’m fine I promise’

‘They’re also saying Tucker had something to do with Nedley’s accident…’

‘Waves… I can’t talk about that right now, but we do need to talk to you-are you working the late shift?’

‘Well I should be, but Wynonna can cover me-do you want me to come over?’

‘No Waves, we’ll come to you… I’ll explain everything then okay- you’re not in any trouble or anything… far from it…’

‘Okay…’ The brunette replied somewhat sceptically

‘Waves, I gotta go, but I’ll see you later…’

‘Okay… hey Nic…’

‘Yeah?’

‘Don’t… don’t get shot again…’ Nicole laughed as she heard the brunette’s request

‘I’ll try not to baby… I’ll see you later Waves’ the red head said before she hung up the phone. She knew Waverly had the right to know about Tucker’s obsession, but until they had him in custody, all three officers had agreed to not scare the bar maid. Now they had him, Nicole knew they had to tell Waverly the whole sordid story. She only hoped that the brunette would understand why this had all been kept from her in the first place.

Nedley had been moved to a private room a week ago, having been well enough to leave the ICU. She hadn’t been to see him since the photographs had been found, but she was pretty sure Mike had kept Nedley informed on all developments. She found his room, and took a deep breath before knocking and opening the door.

‘Haught… good to see you’ Nedley said, whilst putting a local paper down and giving his full attention to his deputy.

‘Chief… sorry I’ve not managed to come and see you, we’ve been swamped… I just wanted to let you know we caught Tucker Gardner a couple of hours ago-he’s here at the moment having a gunshot tended to…’

‘Did you shoot him?’

‘Quite the opposite, he shot me, but I had a vest on, so was just winded… Anyway… thought you’d wanna know…’ The redhead said as she started to leave the private room

‘Nicole… Wait… You wanna talk about Champ now?’

‘I can’t… I’m so… I’m so fucking pissed at you… you KNEW what he was doing to her, and you did NOTHING… Do you know how… how fucking… how fucking DISAPPOINTED I am in you?! You’re a law man, a protector, and you helped RAISE her… I… I just…’ And she stopped then, looking at the man in front of her. He wasn’t looking at her, and Nicole was pretty sure she saw shame in his eyes

‘I know Nicole… but Waverly… she said it was fine…’

‘Then you should have HELPED her… For fuck sake Nedley, what else are we here for?!’

‘I didn’t know it had turned physical until later…’

‘I’m sorry, I’m calling bullshit on that-Gardner says he came to you and showed you the photos-I’ve seen them Sir… there’s no doubt there was a pattern of systematic abuse…’

‘He showed me those photos six weeks ago Nicole-you had already arrived in Purgatory and she and Champ were over… I know this is hard to believe, but have you EVER tried to force Waverly Earp to do anything against her will?’

‘Be VERY careful Nedley, that sounds to me like victim blaming…’

‘It’s not victim blaming, for god sake, but what could I have done… realistically?! She told me, Wynonna, Gus, Chrissy, EVERYBODY that she was not being physically harmed… short of following her around like Gardner, how was I supposed to STOP it?’ Nedley said, pleadingly. Nicole took a moment to calm down. She knew Nedley was right, but it still sat very badly with her. She inhaled quietly and closed her eyes. She knew she was angry with Champ, not Nedley, and the only person that could make any sense of this to her was Waverly.

‘I’m sorry Sir…’

‘Don’t be Nicole… I can see… hell, you obviously care about her-but don’t think for one minute you’re the only person in this town that feels like that-we all love her’ He said, looking more defiant than before. He was right-Nicole wasn’t a knight in shining armour, that’s swooped in to rescue a damsel in distress, and as a police officer, she knows that unless someone is willing to report the abuse, there’s nothing legally to be done about it. She took the seat next to her boss and breathed out heavily.

‘Does she know about the photos yet?’ Nedley asked, seemingly deciding their fight was over

‘Not yet, I’ll tell her today…’

‘Okay… just… don’t make her out like a victim Nicole-she got away from him-don’t make her think you feel sorry for her, or she’ll bolt…’ Nicole looked up and nodded her agreement, she knew Waverly was complex, and she would hate to feel like anyone was judging her or the choices she had made. 

 

Waverly was nervous. And when she was nervous, she paced. Wynonna was sitting on the bar stool she had occupied most of the afternoon, watching her little sister wear a track out in the wooden floor below her feet

‘What could any of this have to do with me?’ Waverly voiced again, for what felt like the sixtieth time that day

‘Baby girl… I don’t know, but you don’t know either, so instead of stressing about it, will you do us both a favour and get me a cheeseburger…’ Wynonna said, only half joking. Waverly stopped and looked at her sister incredulously-sometimes she was at a loss with the older brunette. As she rolled her eyes and continued her path, Shorty’s door opened and Nicole and Mike walked in. Waverly started to rush towards her but Nicole put her hand out to stop her

‘Be gentle… I’m bruised like a peach’ the Officer said with a smile on her face. Waverly let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and slowly continued towards the taller woman. They faced each other and Waverly delicately reached up and stroked Nicole’s cheek, Mike heading straight to the bar to give the women some privacy. The redhead momentarily closed her eyes at the touch, then looked at the woman in front of her. She knew the next conversation they had was going to be difficult, and so wanted to savour the calm before the inevitable storm.

‘Waves, I need to tell you something… and I think it’s going to be pretty hard for you to hear…’

‘You can tell me anything Nicole’ Waverly replied, honesty radiating from her eyes.

‘Can we… can we go upstairs… Wynonna can come too if you’d like’

‘Nicole, you’re scaring me, what’s going on?’

‘Please… just… not here…’ was all the officer could reply. Without further comment, Waverly walked behind the bar and beckoned for the officers to follow her. Mike followed Waverly immediately, but as Nicole passed Wynonna, she stopped and looked at her friend. Wynonna was avoiding eye contact, so the red head punched her friend playfully on the shoulder

‘Sorry I scared you…’ was all the taller woman said. Wynonna exhaled audibly and then turned and looked Nicole in the eye

‘You did scare me… well both of us…’

‘Yeah I know… look, we’re about to talk to Waverly about some stuff to do with this whole business-I’m not saying she wants you in the room, but I’m suggesting you ask the question… it’s not good Wynonna…’ The brunette paused for a moment and then nodded and called for Gus to take over the bar so she and Waverly could go and talk to Nicole and Mike.

Once they were all sitting in the studio apartment above the bar, Nicole and Mike didn’t waste time getting to the point. It was explained to the Earp women that Tucker Gardner had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder concerning Randy Nedley, and that he was also suspected of stalking Waverly Earp. Mike did the talking, Nicole was only there because Lonnie had been designated to show the Cranbrook Officers around the station before his shift ended.

‘What do you mean you have evidence? I had no idea Tucker was even back in town…’ Waverly asked looking between the two Officers

‘We found photos Waverly of you through-out the last eight months. He had been following you and your life closely’ Mike answered, reserved and focussed on the task in hand

‘Photos? What kind of photos…?’

‘They range from pretty innocuous, to… intrusive…’ Nicole replied. Waverly stood up abruptly and began to pace.

‘Intrusive how?’ She asked, feeling uneasy. Nicole and Mike had discussed that they would hint at the abuse without saying it outright-if Waverly wanted more details, then she could ask, but it had to be Waverly’s decision to tell her sister. Nicole cleared her throat as she thought of the best way to be clear without having to actually say the words

‘Well, it starts with a harmless meal with Champ, then there are a couple of you guys at the town picnic, and then there are a few showing you guys in the back alley behind Shorty’s…’

‘Oh god… did he take photos of you and that douche bag banging in the alley?!’ Wynonna asked whilst she cackled loudly. Waverly looked at Nicole and Nicole knew that Waverly knew. She closed her eyes and whispered

‘How bad is it?’ The smaller woman opens her eyes and looks at Nicole. Nicole darted her eyes to Wynonna and then back to Waverly. There was the tiniest nod from the smaller woman, so Nicole continued

‘Starts with a finger pointing in your face, moves onto a face grab, and then there’s succession of photos showing a punch to the stomach’ Nicole says. There is no pity in her voice and no judgement, and Waverly will forever be grateful for that. She closes her eyes again as she hears Wynonna explode behind her.

‘THE FUCK?!’ the older Earp shouted incredulously. Mike tried to calm the fiery brunette down whilst Nicole kept her eyes on Waverly. Waverly opened her eyes again, a look of defiance in her eyes. Nicole didn’t break eye contact as she suddenly continued

‘How would you like to proceed Waverly? We can prosecute-we have the evidence. Or we can leave it-it’s up to you and it’s totally your call’

‘What do you think I should do?’ Waverly asked, making Wynonna and Mike stop to listen

‘I think you should do whatever makes you comfortable’

‘Nicole…’ Waverly said, her voice quieter. Nicole took a step forward

‘I want to kill him. I want to throw every single charge I can at the little prick-but I understand if you don’t want to… I get it Waves… but I think you’re the strongest person I know, and Waverly, it is up to you’ Nicole said honestly. Waverly nodded and turned to Mike

‘Mike… can you take me to the station and show me the photos please-I would like to see for myself-Wynonna… just… just come with me… please…’ Wynonna nodded as she scrambled to get up. The four of them left the apartment quietly and went straight over to the station. Lonnie was still with three Officers from Cranbrook, waiting for Nicole and Mike to return, so once Waverly and Wynonna were settled in an interview room, Nicole and Mike joined the visiting Officers in the bullpen. There was a blonde woman called Sophia Lucado that was leading the Cranbrook team, so Nicole addressed her first

‘Thanks guys for making it over here-it’s cleaner having you do the investigation-hopefully it won’t keep you too long’. Lucado smiled warmly at Nicole and introduced the rest of the team. Nicole and her went into Nedley’s office to make a plan with rota’s and Mike took the photographs into Waverly and Wynonna. Nicole had to extract herself now from the Earp stalker case as she too was featured in photographs, and it was too close to for her to be involved. Nicole explained all of this to Lucado, who listened sympathetically. It was decided that Lucado and a man called Vikrim Rashid would concentrate on the Gardner case, and that the third Officer (a guy called John Mortimer) would be used as a relief Officer, working days at the station to allow Lonnie, Mike and Nicole some time off. Nicole took the night shift that night to give Mike a break, and she would work through tomorrow also so Lonnie could have a day off-that would then leave Nicole with Saturday night and Sunday off. She was hoping to make an appearance at Waverly’s party and then sleep for most of Sunday. By the time they had plans in place and logistics worked out Waverly and Wynonna were long gone. Mike and Lonnie had also left, so Nicole made herself a large pot of coffee and settled in for the night. She had reports to write, she had new Officers to show around and she had interviews to set up-and she had to do all of that without Waverly Earp on her mind-which Nicole was finding more and more impossible.

 

Waverly felt like she was under water. She could hear Mike saying something, but she couldn’t tell you what he was saying, and whilst she could also tell Wynonna was occasionally chipping in, she was oblivious as to what was being said. She shook her head and tried to focus. In front of her were 4 folders of photographs, all in date order, and all featuring her in some way. Nicole had been right-at first it just looked like candid shots taken by a friend-but they became more intrusive, more sinister. There was no doubt in her mind that Tucker Gardner had a soft spot for her-she knew that when she had been seeing Beth. But Beth and she had been over before it had really begun, so it wasn’t something Waverly ever concerned herself with. She would talk to Tucker if she passed him, or if he came into the bar-but other than that, she had absolutely no idea the extent of his fixation. Waverly smiled sadly to herself as she saw photos of her and Champ looking happy in the diner-but it had been the town picnic it had all changed. He was drunk and obnoxious and she had told him so in front of a group of his friends. He had ‘lost face’ as he had put it and reacted by dragging her from the picnic and into the alley. They had argued and he had started getting more and more aggressive-and it was as the photos showed-he started with pointing in her face, then grabbing her arm when she refused to apologise, and finally, when she had called him an embarrassment, he had lost it and punched her in the stomach. Waverly had been so shocked by Champs actions, she had stumbled back against the wall and he had immediately sobered up and realised what he’d done. He was mortified and had promised never to do it again. And give him his due-he hadn’t. But something within Waverly KNEW she needed to press charges. She knew Champ would never hurt her again, but she also knew that when he’d had a drink, he had a temper-the fact he had punched Nicole was testament to that. No, she needed to press charges, and with Wynonna here, she felt the extra support she craved to help her with this final push.

‘So what happens now?’ Waverly heard herself saying. Mike looked at her for a moment and smiled

‘Well Waverly, that’s up to you. If you want to press charges, then we take a statement and you leave it with us. There is clear evidence this happened, so hopefully Champ won’t protest and it can get sorted pretty quickly. If he decides to fight it, it could mean a longer process and maybe even court…’

‘Okay…’ Waverly states simply

‘Okay…? Okay what Waverly?’

‘I’d like to press charges’. Wynonna audibly exhaled and then kissed the top of her sister’s head as she drew her closer to her.

‘I’m so fucking proud of you baby girl’ the older woman whispered into her sisters temple. Waverly squeezed Wynonna’s knee, and watched as Mike nodded and smiled slightly before reaching for a pen and paper and preparing to take a statement. It was a quicker process after that in terms of Champ Hardy. The report was written and filed and it was now up to the DA whether or not there would be a prosecution. They then turned their attention to Tucker Gardner. Mike explained that the Purgatory sheriff’s department were not responsible for the investigation concerning Tucker, and that the Cranbrook police would be in touch in due course. Waverly and Wynonna left soon after-glancing around the station to see if Nicole was available, before retreating back to Shorty’s to talk to Gus and explain why they suddenly had to go AWOL. Waverly felt lighter as she left the station. She wasn’t angry with Champ. She had been at the time, but she had made her peace with herself long ago, and had decided to take the power from the man. They had moved on from the incident during their relationship, and whilst he had never done it again, she lost count of the amount of times she feared his drinking would result in a similar outcome. Waverly knew she had made the right decision, and as her and Wynonna left the station arm in arm, she felt more solid in herself than she had for a long time. 

 

Mike had left an email for Nicole to let her know Waverly would be pressing charges. Nicole was relieved. As an Officer of the law, she was not supposed to influence people, but she knew in her heart that Waverly had already made the decision back at Shorty’s. Lucado and Rashid had called in Beth and Mercedes Gardner first to discuss exactly what they knew of their brother’s movements. It had been agreed by Lucado and the doctors to keep Gardner in overnight with a fourth Officer from Cranbrook posted outside his hospital room. Whilst the gun shot Gardner had received wasn’t too severe, it was still a gunshot-and if they wanted to get a conviction, there could be no question of mistreatment. Lucado was standing at Nicole’s desk going through Lonnie’s report when the door opened and Beth Gardner walked in. She looked flustered, but determined and Lucado stood a little straighter when she noticed the woman. Nicole looked between the two women before realising she needed to make an introduction. She did so, and Lucado smiled warmly at Beth and introduced herself, before leading her and Rashid into interview room one. Nicole watched this with a slight smile on her face. Perhaps when all this is over, maybe Beth can get some reprieve and finally get a bit of luck on her side.

The rest of the night shift had been non eventful. Lucado and Rashid had interviewed Beth and then said their goodbyes, and Mortimer had left when Mike had so he could work the day shift tomorrow with Nicole showing him the ropes. As it was Friday night, Nicole was expecting a bit of drunk and disorderly, but she was mistaken. Lonnie had left a note saying Shorty’s had been unexpectedly closed for the night, so really, there was nowhere else in the heart of town to get a drink, and whilst there had been some disgruntled people when they found out their local watering hole was closed on the first night of the weekend, no one was so annoyed that they caused trouble-and for the first time in a while, Nicole had a relatively easy night at work. She wrote her report on exactly what had happened with Gardner, and was able to clear her desk of mundane paperwork that had had to take a step back since their hunt for Tucker had begun. She heard the doors swing open at around 3AM and the scuffing of boots enter the station. Nicole knew that Wynonna would visit her tonight. She knew the strength it took in the raven haired Earp woman to not go and shoot Champ Hardy in the balls, so she was unsurprised when her friend rounded the corner, looking dishevelled, but more sober than Nicole was expecting. Nicole stood and greeted her, whilst signalling for them to head to the break room so a fresh pot of coffee could be brewed whilst they talked. Wynonna was quieter than usual, the cocky swagger having been replaced with a subdued air.

‘You okay?’ Nicole asked as she went about making the coffee

‘Me? Yeah, I’m fine… I mean… I feel like a fucking failure, but you know… I’ll get over it…’ Nicole watched her friend teeter on the edge of tears before putting down the coffee pot and taking a deep breath.

‘Wy… you can’t take this all on yourself… Waverly said she was fine-how were you to know different?’ She asked, trying to be the voice of reason

‘I just… I should have seen it coming…’

‘Why? Waverly didn’t see it coming and she was living with him… I get that you’re angry, but you and I both know there’s more to this… Talk to me…’ Wynonna took a moment to compose herself before looking her friend in the eye

‘I should have been here…’

‘But you weren’t…’

‘I know that… but I should have been…’

‘Yeah, but you weren’t… what’s the point of feeling shitty about something you can’t control?’

‘I let her down Nicole…’ the brunette said in the smallest voice Nicole had ever heard her use.

‘Look, there is certainly some truth that Waverly could have had more support from people in her life, but there are others responsible too-you weren’t even in the country when their relationship turned violent and she says it happened once-so by the time you appeared, it was already over’

‘I know but…’

‘There is no but… You weren’t here. You can feel guilty about that, or you can just make your peace with it and move on. You’ll drive yourself mad if you don’t get past it-Waverly’s past it…’

‘But is she though?’ Wynonna said suddenly standing up and pacing. Nicole watched the internal battle currently being fought inside her friend

‘Wynonna, she is no longer a victim-she’s taken back her power-don’t try and take it away from her. She has moved on, she’s happy-don’t over analyse it and for god sake don’t try and second guess her-you’ll never win...’ Wynonna stopped pacing and looked at Nicole once more

‘How can you be so calm about this?’ She asked, almost accusatory

‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m fucking furious-but Waverly has decided to deal with it, and I respect her for that. Like I said, she’s no longer a victim, she is a beacon of strength as far as I’m concerned and I am in awe of her’ Nicole stated simply ‘Now will you sit down please, I’m exhausted just watching you’. Wynonna smiled at the red head and sat back down.

‘That’s better… You want a drink?’ Nicole asked as she smiled back at the brunette.

‘You’re on duty…’ Wynonna said whilst raising an eyebrow

‘You’re not… and I’ve found Nedley’s stash… It’s the least he can do with all the help you’ve given him’ she said as she stood to head back to the bullpen. Wynonna followed her out and then sat on the edge of Nicole’s desk as she sipped the amber liquid. Nicole explained to her exactly what had happened in the warehouse and what her theories were on why Tucker Gardner had ran Nedley down.

‘So you think it’s all to do with Waves?’

‘Well… I think that Tucker was furious with Nedley for not doing more and protecting her, but make no mistake-this is all Tucker’s fault, but I think Waverly moving on made Tucker mad-he wanted to see justice for the abuse, and I think he felt like he’d tried everything and no-one had listened…’

‘You make him sound almost in the right’ Wynonna said once Nicole had finished

‘Oh god, don’t get me wrong, Tucker Gardner is bat shit crazy, but I think he needs help, and I think that whilst he absolutely must do time for what he did, we have a responsibility to offer him the medical support he needs too’. Wynonna shook her head at the officer

‘No wonder….’

‘No wonder what?’ Nicole asked, her brow furrowed

‘No wonder my little sister is in love with you…’

‘She’s…. she’s not in love, she’s just…’

‘Oh for the love of GOD!’ Wynonna howled before standing up and stretching. ‘I have to go, I have a party to plan and you need coffee-sorry I ambushed you…’

‘Don’t be… it was good to see you… thanks for feeding Janey-I hate that she likes you more than me’

‘Everybody does Haughtdog, might as well get used to it’ the brunette fired back as she walked to the doors ‘Hey, you will come tomorrow won’t you? I don’t think she’d cope well if you weren’t there… she doesn’t want to have this change anything…’

‘Of course I’ll be there… You’re not driving are you?’ Nicole asked, ever the police officer

‘Nah, I’m crashing at Shorty’s so Dolls and I can make a start on decorating the shit outta the place for tomorrow…’

‘Okay, well… send him my love’ Nicole said with a smile reaching the corners of her lips

‘Fuck off Haughtdamn’

‘Sure’ The Officer answered smiling fully as she watched Wynonna skulk out of the station and into the night.

 

Waverly was wide awake at 4AM. She was usually a good sleeper, but tonight she just couldn’t turn her brain off. She was thinking of all the times she had been being watched and she had no idea. It scared her more than she was willing to admit. She knew Tucker had a soft spot for her, but what she had seen today had been beyond all comprehension to her. He clearly needed help, and on the one hand she felt sorry for him-but on the other, he had ran down Randy Nedley and left him for dead. Because of her. Because of his obsession with her. Oh she knew people would say to her it’s not her fault, and she’s not responsible, but try telling that to her brain. She rolled over for what felt like the ninetieth time that night and noticed that her phone was glowing with a message. She knew this was going to be either from her drunk sister or Nicole. She hoped it was the latter as she picked up the cell and looked at the sender

Nicole: I cannot tell you how happy I am that I get to see you tomorrow xx

Waverly smiled at the message as she replied quickly

Waverly: I can’t wait either… what time do you finish? Wynonna will be drunk by 8PM….

Waverly saw the three little dots showing Nicole was replying immediately. As she lay waiting for the red head’s response, she revelled in the butterflies that had started in her stomach. It felt like finally they were going to be able to move forward, and she was pretty sure Nicole was as keen as she was to take the next step. Her phone lit up once more to show a new message

Nicole: Why are you up?!! Depends what time they finish here, but hoping to be with you before Wy gets too annihilated… I feel like I haven’t seen you properly for ages (unofficially….) I’ll be the one with the cocky swagger and the red hair in case you’ve forgotten what I look like out of my uniform

Waverly laughed out loud. She was done for. There was no point even trying to deny it to herself, she was hopelessly in love with Nicole Haught, and she couldn’t wait to tell her

Waverly: Cocky swagger-doesn’t sound like you… ;-) I look forward to picking you out in the crowd-now get that work done so you can join me sooner!

Nicole: Goodnight Waverly Earp xx

Waverly: Goodnight Officer Haught xxxx

The exchange made Waverly relax down into her mattress, and as she closed her eyes to chase sleep once more, she smiled softly and began to drift off-thoughts of Nicole Haught occupying mind.


	11. Chapter eleven

Chapter eleven

 

Nicole had managed to power through the rest of her night shift and was sitting at her desk with a coffee in her hand when Lucado and Rashid walked in. The blonde woman smiled as she approached the deputy and perched on the desk opposite Nicole’s station

‘So you’re finally getting to speak to Gardner today?’ Nicole asked-more to make conversation than anything else. Lucado nodded and folded her arms

‘Yep, we’re bringing him in this afternoon. If it’s okay with you, we’d like the station clear of Purgatory Officers-we need this by the book, and if there’s even a hint of coercion, we’re up shit creek...’ Nicole nodded in agreement-they didn’t want to give Gardner’s lawyers ammunition

‘Absolutely. I was going to show Mortimer the ropes this morning then try and head off to catch up on some much needed sleep... if that’s okay ma’am?’ Nicole added quickly-she was a stickler for rank and realised she was probably being more informal then she should be. Lucado smiled warmly at the younger officer

‘That’s absolutely fine-we appreciate you taking the shift last night, don’t get me wrong, we’re happy to be here, but not having to cover the night shift really helps us out. So you’re off this afternoon and tomorrow right?’

‘If that suits ma’am. Lonnie will be in tomorrow to do days and Mike will cover the nights-it works better for his schedule if he can stick to that arrangement as he sees his grand-kids in the afternoons’ Nicole explained. She felt uneasy leaving them for essentially a weekend, but reasoned she would be at the end of the phone and she needed a day off as much as anyone. Nicole wasn’t shy of working, but even she had to admit that doing too much makes her next to useless

‘I hear there is a party tonight at Shorty’s for Waverly Earp... you going?’

‘Err... yeah, probably not for long, but I definitely want to go and... support her...’ Nicole trailed off

‘How long have you been together?’ Lucado asked, oblivious to Nicole’s increasing embarrassment

‘Oh... we’re not really... I mean... it’s... it’s not...’

‘Oh my apologies, I just thought you were seeing each other’ Lucado said, suddenly looking at Nicole with a slight smile

‘It’s complicated...’ Nicole said without much conviction. She wasn’t about to start discussing her private life with the woman, but she liked that there was such a spark between the two of them that Lucado had picked up on it. Lucado nodded her head in understanding

‘Well, if we need you, we can find you easily I guess-although I’m hoping the only reason I would have to contact you is to tell you we have a confession... but something tells me it’s not going to be that easy...’

‘I hope for everyone’s sake it is-in my opinion Ma’am, Tucker needs help, and the longer this gets drawn out the less likely he is to get it...’

‘I think you’re probably right, but we’ll see... how are your reports coming along?’ Lucado asked, suddenly changing the subject

‘All done. And I even managed to catch us up on the filing, so Lonnie is starting with a clean slate-there are advantages to living in a quiet town’ Nicole said as she smiled once more at her superior. She liked Lucado, and was hoping they could carry on this good working relationship in to the future

‘Great, well, take Johnny out on patrol and then call it a day I’d say. Vikrim and I will be using Nedley’s office to prep, so we can keep an eye out on the front desk-we’ll radio if we need you guys back’

‘Yes ma’am’ Nicole said as she stood to get her coat.

Patrol was uneventful, she took Mortimer on her usual route and explained which businesses were what etc... they did a walk about the town and then a drive out to the boundaries so that he got a sense of the wider community, not just the urban areas. They chatted easily about both their towns and Nicole felt easier leaving her post for a couple of days now knowing who would be taking the reins. Lonnie was a good guy, but he needed supporting in his role and whilst he desperately wanted to get it right, he more often than not let things slip through the net, so it was good to know Mortimer had it together. As they pulled back in to the station, Nicole saw Wynonna leaning on her truck, clearly waiting for the red head to appear. She introduced Johnny quickly, then suggested he grab lunch before she disappears for the afternoon. The women watched him walk over to the diner before turning to each other

‘How are you feeling’ the red head asked, looking the raven haired woman in the eye. Wynonna shrugged

‘I’ve made my peace... so... you off this afternoon?’ Wynonna asked, a gleam in her eye

‘I’m getting some sleep this afternoon, so whatever you think you can rope me into, you can forget it’ Nicole replied, not missing a beat

‘But I need your help... Dolly is off on a case and I can’t reach the high bits’

‘Get a ladder! I’m literally 2 inches taller than you, which is nothing-and don’t even think about scooting past the fact you just referred to Xavier Dolls, ex-marine and for all I know silent assassin as “Dolly”’ Wynonna looked like she might bolt, but then she pushed her shoulders back and kept her face neutral

'Well yes, yes I did-and you know what... I’m owning that...’ she said, sounding less convincing as she finished

‘Girl... you own it’ was all Nicole could say whilst smirking at her friend.

‘Come on Nic, please-I need someone to help with the banners-I want this to be right for her you know-especially now…’ Wynonna pleaded. Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a deep sigh

‘Fine-BUT I am only helping hang the banners, you have to do the rest yourself-I haven’t slept in like 30 hours and I need to shower and change before tonight

‘YAAAAS QUEEN!’ Wynonna bellowed. Both women looked at each other, unsure of what had just come out of Wynonna’s mouth

‘Yeah… You can’t pull that off’ Nicole said

‘Agreed’ Wynonna replied.

‘Okay, give me half an hour and I’ll meet you in the bar-but I mean it Wy… an hour max okay?’ Nicole said sternly. Wynonna just saluted and disappeared across the road. 

 

Waverly woke up later than she had planned. She had been relatively sober when she went to bed in the early hours, and after her conversation with Nicole she managed to drift off to an uninterrupted night of sleep. She stretched out her body and lay looking up at the ceiling. She loved that Wynonna was throwing a party for her in celebration of her degree results. Graduation was still a couple of months away, and she would stay in the city and celebrate with Wynonna and her classmates the night of the ceremony- but it was nice to mark it with the locals who had been so supportive of her through-out her course. Waverly’s muscles felt tight, so she opted for a quick shower and then a long yoga session to relax her body and mind. She knew she needed to start thinking about what she was going to do now. She knew she could go in to teaching, but research was really her thing. Her professor had mentioned to her an opening in a local museum, so she decided that she would go and visit him this afternoon and pick his brains. The only thing Waverly was absolutely certain on was that she wanted to stay local. She was planning to travel and finally get to see the ocean, but this was her home and she had no intention of changing that just because she had a degree. She knew Gus was planning to retire in the next couple of years, and from the hints she had been dropping, she was pretty certain Gus was going to ask Waverly to take over the bar. If Waverly was honest with herself, she didn’t want to be a career barmaid, but a bar owner… that interested her. And with Wynonna’s help, she felt like they had a shot of making a real go at it-it was something she was going to talk to her older sister about once this Champ business was over and done with. As she dressed in her yoga pants and a vest top that she tied in a knot to the side to stop it from being too loose, she thought about Champ. He had started off sweet, and kind, and attentive. But the longer the relationship went on the sourer it had turned. She wasn’t lying when she said he had been violent once and once only. He had been mortified, and cried and begged for forgiveness, blaming the alcohol and her words. He had said if she hadn’t of made him feel small in front of his friends, then he would never of lashed out-and she felt at the time like that was a good enough excuse to forgive and move on. She, of course, never really moved on-he had never threatened her or raised his hand, but she never truly forgave him. She knew deep down that their relationship was over-but a small town like Purgatory and a name like Earp made it pretty impossible to believe there was better out there. Nope, Champ believed he was doing her a favour by sticking around, she believed him. It was in her interests to stay with him and get passed it. But then she met Nicole. And Nicole had listened when she talked, had shown an interest in more than just her breasts, had been respectful, and funny and she had changed Waverly irreparably without even meaning to. She thought back to their first night together, and how much she had laughed and how engaged she was in conversation. And every night since had been the same. Nicole was the polar opposite to Champ in every single way and Waverly was excited to see where they would end up. Would Waverly have prosecuted Champ if the photos hadn’t been found-no, in honesty she wouldn’t have. But that’s meaningless now, the photos were found and Waverly can see she absolutely needs to see this through. Champ could be a good guy, but if he doesn’t get help, he might do it again to the next girl he’s with.

She moved the coffee table aside and laid down her yoga mat so she could start her routine. As she relaxed into it, Waverly’s mind started to clear and her body responded similarly. She felt the peace descend and with it, all thoughts of Champ dissipated-she had made her decision and it was the right one so she lost herself in her yoga, relaxing fully for the first time in what felt like a long time.

Ninety minutes later, Waverly was fully at peace and in the shower washing her hair. Having seen it was now nearly 3PM, she settled on emailing her professor with some career questions and then she would make some food and spend the remainder of the day reading on the sofa-she wanted to keep herself relaxed for the party this evening. Saturday nights at Shorty’s could get pretty wild, so throw her and her sister celebrating and she could only hope the hangover wouldn’t last two days. She got out of the shower, dried off and threw on some clean sweats and Nicole’s PSD hoodie she had just washed. She wasn’t technically given this hoodie, but Nicole had left it at the homestead after her first visit, and Waverly had conveniently forgotten to give it back to her ever since. She padded downstairs and into the kitchen to make a pot of earl grey tea and to cook a large plate of pesto pasta and salad. Fed and watered, Waverly moved to the sofa and opened up her laptop to write her email. 30 minutes later, she was just about to dive into the world of Anne Lister and her coded diaries when her phone rang. She recognised her professors number immediately and answered the phone happily

‘Waverly? Hi its Matthew Turnball here’ he said gruffly down the receiver

‘Hi Professor Turnball, what can I do for you?’ She asked curiously

‘I got your email regarding research positions. I have one opening actually. I am writing a reference book on the Ghost River Triangle and the myths and legends surrounding the area. I was hoping to talk to you about it in person, as I know you are well versed in such matters what with your family history. I am looking to employ someone on a part time basis, and I imagine it’ll be at least a year from start to finish. I’ll get right to it Waverly, you were an excellent student, and I would be offering you this opportunity regardless, but your name will bring a certain gravitas to the project’. Waverly was momentarily speechless. She was used to her name carrying a certain weight-but it wasn’t usually the good kind.

‘That sounds… well it sounds absolutely perfect sir’ she managed to stammer out, trying to rein in her excitement

‘Okay, well I plan to start next week, I’ll need a couple of weeks to get myself up and running before I have anything for you to actually do-but it would be good to see you sooner rather than later. How are you fixed for Monday afternoon?’

‘Monday is fine Sir-shall I come to your office?’ She said, the excitement still building

‘Yes, for now come to the university-but once we’ve ironed out the creases, you’ll be either working from home, or occasionally in the office at my house-that is, if you’re comfortable with that? The book fee doesn’t cover enough for a separate office’ He said rather jovially. Waverly let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

‘The money will not be enough to retire on’ he continued ‘but you will be paid and I will make sure you are not overworked. It’s not full time Waverly, so I do not expect you to work like it is’

‘Yes Sir’ she replied

‘And Waverly, if we are to work together, for the love of God call me Matt’ he said. Waverly chuckled down the phone at her new employer

‘Yes Matt… What time on Monday?’

‘Let’s say 2.30PM-I can get my morning tutorials out of the way and get some lunch before we start… Good to have you on board Waverly, I think this is going to be great for both of us’

‘Thank you Matt, see you on Monday’ She replied before hanging up. She sat there still for a moment absorbing everything that had just happened. It felt almost unreal, like someone was playing a cruel joke on her. She took some deep breaths and then phoned Wynonna. Her wayward sister answered on the fifth ring sounding more harassed than usual

‘Baby girl? What’s wrong? You’re not bailing on me tonight are you?’ She asked warily

‘Quite the opposite Nonna’ the younger sister replied, barely keeping her shit together. ‘Nonna… I… I got a job…’

‘What do you mean you got a job?’ Wynonna asked. The older woman’s heart jumped into her mouth. She was expecting Waverly to leave, but she wasn’t expecting it to be so soon. She rallied and tried to sound enthusiastic ‘I mean… That’s amazing! What’s the job?’ She said more emphatically. And then she listened as her little sister filled her in on the news, her heart flooding with relief with every syllable uttered. By the time Waverly had finished, Wynonna was bursting with happiness. She squealed with delight when Waverly took a breath and then shouted for Gus to take the phone so Waverly could tell their aunt the good news. Wynonna’s heart soared at the news that Waverly wasn’t planning to go anywhere for longer than for a holiday. Nicole, who was finishing hanging the last banner across the bar wasn’t really aware of what was going on, and Wynonna wanted to keep it that way. She wanted her sister to be able to tell the officer her good news. So once Gus had been informed, Wynonna hung up and surveyed the room. There was a piñata hanging at one side of the bar, a makeshift dance floor, a couple of banners and some bunting. It wasn’t much, but Wynonna knew Waverly would love it. She had invited half the town, and everyone had responded enthusiastically-any excuse to party and especially if it were to celebrate the towns nicest person and all her achievements. Wynonna had also managed to convince Dolls to DJ for the evening, so she had set up some decks and would test the sound system before he got there, so all he had to actually do was play the music. Dolls hated DJing, but he loved Waverly, so had agreed to do it for her-and for Wynonna too, but they still weren’t talking about that officially. 

 

Nicole finally got back to her place at 4PM. She set her alarm, drew her black out blinds flung herself onto her bed fully clothed and fell asleep almost instantly. She had been with Wynonna longer than planned, but she knew that whilst the party started at 8PM, Waverly would be busy hosting for the first couple of hours, so if Nicole slept for five hours she would last a bit longer than she had originally planned. She hoped she would spend the night with Waverly, but wasn’t sure she’d last the whole night, so opted to not plan too far ahead. When her alarm woke her at 9PM she felt refreshed enough to get up immediately. She threw herself into the shower and washed her hair. Placing her uniform in the overflowing washing basket, she made a mental note to do life chores tomorrow. Her cupboards were bare, her washing basket was full to the brim and her cat was so furious with her, she couldn’t even bring herself to look at Nicole this afternoon. She applied a bit of make-up, twisted her hair slightly to give it a bit of volume, and then opened her wardrobe to assess the options. She wasn’t usually one to fuss too much about what to wear-she was confident in herself and knew how to dress well, so she opted for a pair of black skinny jeans and an oversized white cotton shirt that she tucked in at the front. It gave her just the right amount of cleavage and tucking it in showed off her hips and long legs. She put on some jewellery and sprayed some perfume and was ready to go. She grabbed some left over pasta that Wynonna had dropped off to her three nights ago and quickly ate it before brushing her teeth and heading out of the door. As she approached Shorty’s she could hear the music and the loud singing from down the street. Nicole got to the front of the bar and noticed a banner above the door that read ‘Go big or go home’. If a banner ever summed up Wynonna Earp-this was the banner. And Nicole loved it. She smiled as she shook her head and walked into the dimly lit bar. The music was loud, the crowd was big and the place was full of happiness and love for Waverly Earp. ‘She really is the town sweetheart’ Nicole thought to herself as she made her way to the bar. She surveyed the room and saw Waverly on the dancefloor with Stupid Carl and Chrissy Nedley. She looked like she was having the time of her life, with regulars of the bar surrounding them and dancing alongside them. As Waverly spun her head towards Nicole their eyes momentarily met. Waverly’s smile was dazzling and as she held their gaze, Nicole couldn’t help but return the grin. Wynonna appeared to Nicole’s right, so the redhead winked at the tiny dancer and turned away from the dance floor to face her friend

‘You made it!’ the eldest Earp said whilst throwing her arms around the red head. Nicole was surprised by the outwardly affectionate gesture, but returned the hug eagerly.

‘Wouldn’t miss it… how’s she doing? She having a good time?’

‘Of course-but something tells me her night is about to pick up now you’re here…’ Nicole blushed and accepted the beer put in front of her. Wynonna signalled to the barmaid and two shots of whisky were placed in front of them

‘To your baby girl…’ Nicole toasted as the clinked their glasses and swallowed the amber liquid quickly. Wynonna noticed the bar getting busier, so she placed her hand on Nicole’s shoulder and squeezed lightly before nipping round to help serve. Nicole stayed and looked the room over once more. She felt a hand run up the back of her shirt and smiled into the touch. She turned to look at Waverly, without realising it wasn’t Waverly’s touch she was feeling. A blonde woman Nicole had never seen before was smiling back at her. Nicole kept her smile there, but readjusted her body so that the blondes hand was no longer resting on her back

‘I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure... you must be the new deputy’ the blonde woman purred, whilst looking Nicole up and down. Nicole had no idea who this woman was, so she smiled politely and introduced herself

‘Not that new now ma’am’ she said, slightly aware of the woman moving closer into her personal space

‘I’m Stephanie Jones... I’ve mean meaning to introduce myself to you...’ she said, moving closer still to Nicole. The blonde boldly ran her fingers up Nicole’s arm and winked

‘I hear you’re quite the hero...’ she said and Nicole laughed

‘That is greatly exaggerated Miss Jones I assure you’ Nicole said, trying, and failing to move back slightly from the predatory woman in front of her. As they conversed, Nicole was completely unaware that Waverly had been making her way towards her when Stephanie had sat down. She saw the back stroke, the arm stroke, the laugh Nicole did and was watching the way Stephanie was leaning into Nicole’s personal space. She was about to march over to them when she felt an arm around her waist and then she was being spun and pulled behind the bar and into the kitchens

‘Baby girl, what are you doing?’

'What the fuck Wynonna?’ Waverly said a bit too loudly. Wynonna stood in the door way, blocking Waverly’s path

‘Waverly... calm down...’

‘Don’t tell me to calm down, Stephanie fucking Jones is here and all over my...’

‘Your what Waverly?’ Wynonna asked calmly. Waverly huffed and folded her arms. She then took a deep breath and let out a sigh

‘Nicole... she’s all over Nicole Nonna...’

‘I know baby girl... have you actually spoken to Nicole about how you feel?’ Waverly shook her head, a melancholic look clouding her eyes. Wynonna sighed and pulled her little sister into a tight embrace. She kissed the top of the smaller woman’s head and then held her at arms-length, looking her directly in the eye

‘Nicole Haught is mad about you Waves-just go out there and tell her how you feel, who gives a shit about Stephanie Jones? Go show her you want her’ Waverly sniffed and looked down at her hands

‘But… what if she doesn’t feel the same?’ Wynonna knew the answer already, but wasn’t about to take that joy away from Nicole-so she smiled down at her sister and replied honestly with

‘Well then she’s a fool baby girl’. Waverly laughed slightly then stood taller and pushed her shoulders back. Wynonna was right, Waverly knew deep down that Nicole was all in, she just needed to trust her. She wiped her eyes then headed back out into the crowded bar. Waverly looked towards where the two women had been occupying the space, but she couldn’t see either of them. A slight panic started to grip Waverly as she couldn’t see the taller woman anywhere in the bar-nor could she see Stephanie Jones. Waverly had lost count the amount of times Champ would disappear with the blonde, and whilst she wanted to believe Nicole wouldn’t do such a thing, she couldn’t stop the feeling of dread rising up into her chest. She moved to the back of the bar by the pool tables, but she couldn’t see her there either. Waverly leant against the pool table, her back to the rest of the bar as she took a shuddering breath and tried to wipe away the tears. Of course Nicole had left with Stephanie. Waverly let out a bitter chuckle to herself for ever believing someone like Nicole would ever seriously want to be with an Earp. Champ was right in that respect-no one would ever truly want her. She took another steadying breath before plastering on the fake smile and wave she had become so famous for (ironically, Nicole seemed to have picked up on the fact it was all a front).

Just as she got herself together, Waverly felt someone standing very closely behind her. She could smell the familiar vanilla scent that Nicole always wore, as well as the soap from the bathroom. Waverly released a breath as it dawned on her Nicole had just been to the restroom. Nicole looked around them briefly before whispering in Waverly’s ear

‘You look beautiful newly graduated Waverly Earp’. Waverly shivered and turned round to face Nicole.

‘I thought you’d left’ she said, barely above a whisper

‘I’m not going anywhere Waves… well not unless you want me to…’ the Officer replied sincerely. Waverly smiled and stood on her tip toes as she leant into the red head and gently kissed her on the lips. Nicole lightly put her hands on Waverly’s hips as Waverly deepened the kiss. The smaller woman ran her hands through Nicole’s hair and before Nicole really registered what was happening, Waverly had guided them so that Nicole was perching against one of the pool tables and was matching Waverly’s height. The redhead pulled away slightly and looked Waverly in the eye, a smile on her face

‘Hello…’

‘Good evening Officer…’ the smaller woman said whilst stroking Nicole’s cheek lightly ‘I missed you…’

‘I missed you too… you okay? We are… exposed…’ Nicole said quietly. Waverly nodded and smiled

‘Yeah I see that… You think you can handle it?’ she asked. Nicole looked Waverly in the eye

‘Oh I’m sure I can handle it- but I don’t want you to regret this public display of affection in the morning… I don’t want you worrying about what people are thinking…’

‘I couldn’t give a fuck what anybody is saying about this…’ Waverly replied smiling even more

‘Say fuck again…’ Nicole said with a smirk on her face. Waverly peppered Nicole’s lips and neck with kisses as she said

‘I couldn’t give a fuck what anybody is saying about us’. Nicole hummed at the kisses and ran her hands through Waverly’s hair as she directed Waverly’s lips back onto her own. Waverly pulled away and looked Nicole in the eye

‘Stay with me tonight’ she said-more of a statement than a question.

‘I thought you’d never ask… but first… we need shots with your sister and we need to make Dolls play some decent music…’ Nicole said, her dimples on full display. Waverly laughed and kissed the red head quickly once more

‘I agree with everything you just said…’ As the two women started to cross over to the bar, Waverly took Nicole’s hand in hers and laced their fingers together. She led Nicole confidently towards Wynonna, who had watched the whole interaction with a smile on her face. It was so rare that she got to legitimately say ‘I told you so’ to her little sister that Wynonna was planning to milk this for all it was worth. 

 

The evening continued in a haze of alcohol and dancing. Waverly was by Nicole’s side the rest of the night, stealing kisses and touches as often as she could. Nicole didn’t know what had brought on this sudden boldness from the tiny brunette, but she wasn’t complaining. She had wanted to be openly kissing this fiery woman in public as soon as she had seen her, so even if in the morning Waverly wanted to dial it back publicly, for tonight Nicole would take it as much as she could.

Wynonna, Waverly and Nicole we’re standing at the bar awaiting another round of shots when Chrissy finally tore herself away from the dance floor and joined them. She had been occupied with Mark Simpson, a guy her and Waverly were in school with for most of the evening. As the shots arrived and the four women threw their heads back and consumed the amber liquid, Dolls started playing ‘Signed Sealed Delivered’ by Stevie Wonder. The four women cheered and Nicole spun round to face the group

‘Right, I hate to break this up but I need to dance... come on Earp’ Waverly stood, but Nicole squeezed her hand and said

‘Not this time baby-I’ve got a date on that floor with my other Earp-come on you’ she said. She kissed Waverly on the cheek and then took Wynonna’s hand and led her out onto the dance floor. Waverly laughed and watched Wynonna grin as Nicole lifted her arm and twirled her underneath it as they approached the centre of the floor, making room with their elbows as they went. They started dancing and Waverly smiled as Nicole said something into Wynonna’s ear that had the brunette throwing her head back and laughter loudly. Waverly and Chrissy smiled and turned back to the bar

‘So... you having a good time?’ Chrissy asked, looking over to her friend. Waverly grinned

I’m having the BEST time... are you?’ Waverly asked, pretty sure Chrissy had needed to blow off steam as much as the rest of them

‘Yeah... god it’s been a fucking awful month... thank you for being with me... I love you, you know that...’ Chrissy said sincerely. Waverly turned to her friend and smiled

‘I know Chris, I love you too...’

‘So decided to finally tell Nicole how you feel hey?’ Waverly laughed and shook her head

‘Not exactly... I mean we’ve not actually had the conversation, but I’m trying to show her it’s all about her... I mean, we will talk, but I just want to have a night out you know... we’ll talk in the morning...’ Waverly stated simply. She knew by the way they were with each other tonight that Nicole was in this-she has been attentive and had barely looked at anyone other than Waverly all night. Chrissy nodded her head and smiled

‘If anyone deserves this Waves it’s you... you deserve so much love-and I have a feeling Haught is going to spend the rest of her life trying to show you that...’

‘Well that’s the hope!’ Waverly said laughing. Just then, Dolls mixed in to ‘Tainted Love’ by Gloria Jones-it was clear he was about to do a northern soul set, so Chrissy and Waverly grabbed each other’s hands and joined Wynonna and Nicole on the dance floor. They spent the remainder of the evening dancing and laughing-a cloud lifting from all four of the women. They needed to relax, and with Dolls on the decks, there was no chance anyone was going to leave Shorty’s disappointed.


	12. Chapter twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying a new format, so hope it's alright! Little bit smutty, little bit fluffy and a little bit funny (I hope!)

Chapter twelve

 

Waverly opened her eyes the next morning slower than she usually would. She knew the minute she moved she would start to feel a throb in her head. It was rare for her to get hangovers, but if anyone deserved one this morning, it was Waverly Earp. She huffed out some air and very slowly turned to face the woman currently holding her so tightly she could barely move. Nicole’s red hair was covering her face and a couple of strands rhythmically moved every time the Officer exhaled. Waverly watched her companion sleeping for a moment before peeling out of the bed and padding into Nicole’s en-suite. After visiting the loo, Waverly washed her hands and face with soap and then took some gulps of water from the faucet. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was later than she thought-which gave her hope that she may have slept through her hang over. She tip toed back into Nicole’s bedroom and grabbed one of her baggy police shirts that was hanging on the back of a chair near the door. Buttoning it up and finding a clean pair of boxers that Nicole sometimes slept in, she cracked the door open and crept down to the kitchen to find some aspirin. She had a vague recollection of getting here, but it was blurry at best. She ran the tap and drank three large glasses of water. She filled the coffee machine and started to brew some strong caffeine to try and kick start her body into something resembling normality. As the machine jumped into life, Wynonna sat up from the couch, looking as dishevelled as her sister

‘You’re very loud’ Wynonna said simply. Waverly grunted back at her sister and reached for a couple of mugs

‘You want coffee?’ Waverly asked, barely able to string a coherent sentence together

‘Yeah, thanks baby girl... shit I’m hungover...’ Wynonna said as she sat up and grimaced as her head started to pound. Waverly turned to get a glass of water and was surprised when she felt fur rub against her legs. She squealed and dropped the glass she was holding, screaming as cold water splashed up her bare legs. She quickly reached down and scooped up Calamity Jane so she didn’t scamper over the broken glass as Wynonna rolled off the couch and was pulled on her cowboy boots.

‘PEOPLE... why the noise?!’ Chrissy Nedley asked as she stood on the bottom step of the stairs. Waverly blinked at her friend

‘Where did you come from?’ She asked as the stroked Calamity Jane and waited for Wynonna to sweep up the glass.

‘I came home with you last night... do you not remember?!’

‘Erm... no... I don’t really remember getting in...’ Waverly said sheepishly

‘So you don’t remember announcing that even if we were going to stay you were planning to bang your hot girlfriend’

‘I said WHAT?’ Waverly said paling visibly

‘Fraid so baby girl... you said it was on our own heads if we heard you screaming-because she always makes you scream’

‘I did NOT say that... tell me I didn’t say that...’

‘You did. Three times. You said it three times’ Chrissy said as she grabbed some kitchen towels and joined Wynonna in trying to clean up the mess made. Waverly buried her head into Calamity Jane's fur trying to hide her blushes. Just as they were finishing up cleaning, Nicole appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Chrissy and Wynonna were kneeling at Waverly’s feet whilst she held CJ in the middle of the kitchen. Even for the Earps, this looked odd

‘What is happening?’ the redhead asked, an amused look on her face

‘I broke a glass... CJ scared me...’

‘Because she’s so... fierce?!’ Nicole asked, the smile growing on her lips

‘She rubbed up against me... I wasn’t expecting it...’ Waverly explained whilst looking sheepish. ‘So… apparently I was embarrassing last night...’ she said as she finally put CJ down and walked over to the coffee pot that had finally brewed. Chrissy and Wynonna snickered as Waverly tried, and failed, to be cool. Nicole smiled and looked at the three women in front of her

‘You were a wonderful boost to my ego’ she replied, which made both Wynonna and Chrissy cackle louder. Waverly put her hands over her face to try and hide her blushes.

‘Oh god... I’m so sorry... I... I can’t even remember leaving Shorty’s… Fuck… I was drunk…’

‘Err Waves…’ Chrissy said smiling ‘you weren’t just drunk… you were DRUNK….’

‘Yeah baby girl-I mean, you howled at the moon…’

‘I did NOT howl at the moon… did I?’ Waverly asked, looking at Nicole for support

‘Little bit…’ The redhead replied smiling. Waverly threw herself down onto a chair at the kitchen table and moaned into her folded arms in front of her. This didn’t deter either Chrissy or Wynonna who both started howling in unison then continue to laugh at the youngest Earp. Waverly looked up at her sister with bloodshot eyes and pleaded with her to go and collect everyone breakfast. Nicole raised an eyebrow, but was not surprised when Wynonna agreed to take the walk into town to go and get food for everyone and bring it back to Nicole’s place. She dragged Chrissy along, secretly assuming that Waverly needed to have a reassuring conversation with their host.

Once the front door was closed and it was just the two of them, Waverly peaked out from behind her hands and looked the taller woman in the eye for the first time that morning

‘How can you look so good? Am I the ONLY one suffering?’ Waverly asked looking up at Nicole. Nicole smiled and slowly walked towards the tiny woman sitting at the table

‘You think I look good huh?’ Nicole said deeply as she knelt down in front of Waverly and settled the brunette’s legs either side of her body. Waverly smiled and but her arms around Nicole’s neck, instinctively playing with the redhair at the nape her neck

‘You always look good… It’s one of the most annoying things about you’ Waverly replied whilst smiling at the woman nestled between her legs. Nicole leant into Waverly and kissed the left side of her neck. She then slowly made her way up to Waverly’s ear and breathed out heavily, making the brunette shudder.

‘You look incredible in this shirt…’ Nicole whispered as she ghosted her lips along Waverly’s jaw line and started undoing the buttons of the oversized police shirt. Waverly arched her back slightly and pulled Nicole closer to her centre

‘Oh yeah?’ Waverly asked, moving her hands up to Nicole’s hair and tightening some red locks around her fingers

‘Yeah…’ Nicole had the shirt undone fully and was moving her hands up Waverly’s torso and over her breasts. Waverly let out a moan as Nicole ran a thumb over her nipple and started to tease it between her fingers

‘Fuck Nic…’ she breathed out as Nicole started to descend down to her chest. She opened her legs wider and started to grind against Nicole. Nicole took the hint and ran a hand down Waverly’s body and to the waist band of her shorts.

‘This okay?’ Nicole asked, ever the gentlewoman, and Waverly took the red heads face in her hands and kissed her passionately.

‘Baby, this is more than okay…’ She said as she smiled at the deep brown eyes looking back at her. Nicole kissed her again, and then looked Waverly in the eye once more as she very slowly entered her. Waverly momentarily closed her eyes and released a sigh, but then she returned the look to the woman in front of her and nodded. Nicole slowly set a rhythm with a small smile on her face as they continued to look at each other, noses almost touching. Waverly’s body responded immediately, and she was soon matching the rhythm Nicole had set, allowing Nicole’s fingers to set the pace. Nicole’s other hand had moved to the settle around Waverly’s waist, and as she held her tightly and continued to move Waverly’s body towards orgasm, she had a look of adoration on her face. Waverly had experienced a lot of things in her short life, but had never had anyone look at her, or touch her, the way Nicole Haught did. She felt like the only woman on earth when she was with Nicole, and as her body started to shudder and Nicole took her over the edge, she found herself pulling the taller woman closer to her and clinging onto her desperately as she climaxed. Nicole continued to move inside her and kissed her slowly as Waverly came down from her release. Her fingers matched their kissing, and as she slowly pulled away from Waverly, Nicole whispered almost accidentally how beautiful she found the brunette. She lavished her with kisses and praise equally, and when she eventually slipped out of Waverly, she wrapped the smaller woman up into her arms and pulled her as close as she could. They sat like that for a couple of minutes before Nicole pulled back slightly and pushed some stray hair out of Waverly’s eyes and behind her ear. She kissed Waverly once more, not wanting to break their contact

‘Waverly, I know we said we’d see other people, but just so’s you know, I’m not going to. I’m not asking you to do the same, I understand you need to not be tied down, but for the sake of transparency, I’ll be ready when you are’ Nicole said, whilst smiling at the brunette. Waverly swallowed and looked the redhead in the eye

‘Nicole Haught, I couldn’t think of anything I’d like more than to see you, and only you… I was going to say the same-I’m ready when you are… I want to give us a chance, I want to call you my girlfriend, I want to take your hand and walk down the street, I don’t want you to check if anyone’s looking before you kiss me… I’m all in Nicole, I’m all yours…’ Waverly said sincerely whilst resting their foreheads together. Nicole released a breath and closed her eyes

‘Yeah?’

‘Yes baby… I’m sorry it’s taken me so long… ‘

‘I’d have waited longer…’ Nicole said simply. And she meant it. She would wait forever for Waverly Earp-but the relief she felt wash over her when Waverly had admitted her feelings was like a tidal wave. Nicole pulled Waverly into her once more and kissed her deeply. Waverly’s hands started to wander down Nicole’s stomach, but before she managed to run her hands along skin, Nicole stopped her

‘Your sister is going to burst through here at any moment, and whilst I’d like nothing more than to continue this… We will have company pretty soon…’ Nicole said as she stood up and held her hand out to Waverly ‘However… we could maybe go and shower together…’ Nicole suggested, and Waverly didn’t need to be invited twice. She stood up and kissed Nicole hard before taking her hand and leading her upstairs.

They made sure both Nicole’s door and the bathroom door were locked so if Wynonna was inclined to come and interrupt them, she couldn’t. Nicole got into the shower first and started to wash her hair, waiting for Waverly to join her. Waverly was being slightly slower than usual, so Nicole was already nearly finished by the time Waverly sluggishly joined her under the warm jets of water. Nicole tried to turn and face the brunette, but Waverly held her in position as she wound her arms around the taller woman and started to draw patterns on her torso with her fingers. She kissed Nicole’s shoulder blades as her hands wandered lower and found Nicole’s wetness. The redhead instinctively leant back against the woman standing behind her and raised her right leg up onto the edge of the bath to allow easier access. She let out a moan as Waverly circled her clit, and began to move her body in sync with the brunette’s fingers.

‘You’re so wet baby…’

‘It’s all for you Waves… this is what you do to me…’

‘I love how wet I make you… how much you want me… Fuck Nic, you’re beautiful…’ Waverly whispered against Nicole’s neck. She ran her tongue along Nicole’s shoulder and lightly bit down. Nicole moaned once more as Waverly’s fingers started to quicken up. Waverly moved her other hand and teased at Nicole’s entrance

‘You want me inside you baby?’

‘Please Waves…’

‘Please what baby?’ Waverly asked whilst she continued to kiss Nicole’s back and shoulder

‘I want… I want you to fuck me… please… I need you inside me baby…’ the redhead begged. Waverly smiled against the back in front of her as she entered her girlfriend and twisted her fingers

‘FUCK…’ Nicole breathed out as she started to speed up her hip thrusting.

‘God you’re incredible… I love fucking you…’ Waverly continued as both of her hands moved quicker and quicker. Nicole’s breath became more laboured as she panted closer to her orgasm. Waverly continued to play Nicole’s body and just as she’d hoped, once she curled her fingers against Nicole’s front wall, the redhead became completely undone in front of her.

‘I got you baby… God you’re beautiful… I love it when you lose yourself with me…’ Waverly whispered into Nicole’s ear as she held her closely, keeping her fingers inside her girlfriend. Nicole leant her hand against the shower wall as she lowered her leg and Waverly removed her fingers slowly. Nicole turned around and took Waverly’s face in her hands and kissed her once more fiercely.

‘God you’re good at that…’ Nicole said as she smiled down at the woman in her arms. Waverly laughed and kissed her again

‘Good job really…’ The brunette replied ‘Now let me get under that water so I can wash this hang over off my body’ she said smiling. Nicole passed her the shampoo as she herself lathered up a sponge and finished washing her own body. Once Nicole had finished, she leant down and kissed Waverly’s shoulder, before hopping out of the shower and grabbing her towel. She dried herself quickly, hearing that Wynonna and Chrissy were back, and threw some clean sweats and a hoodie on before heading back down to her kitchen.

She found Chrissy and Wynonna at the kitchen table with a huge stack of pancakes and bacon in front of them

‘It smells of sex in here’ was all Wynonna said once Nicole appeared at the bottom of the stairs

‘Okay three things… One, it really doesn’t, it smells of DINER in here. Two, if you think this is what sex smells like you’re doing it wrong and three, you think this is bad, you should smell my bathroom’ Nicole retorted, then grabbed a piece of bacon and took a bite from it whilst leaning back on one of her kitchen units and smiling mischievously. Chrissy barked out a laugh as Wynonna just wrinkled her nose in disgust

‘I’ll have you know, I do all sex RIGHT-both male and female, so don’t start with me’ Wynonna replied

‘Hold up… Am I the ONLY one that HASN’T slept with a woman?’ Chrissy asked whilst looking at the two older women either side of her

‘Looks like it’ Nicole replied

‘Well shit…’ Chrissy said as she took another bite of pancake. Wynonna and Nicole both started laughing as Waverly joined them at the table.

‘These pancakes look GOOD’ the tiny woman said as she settled down and helped herself

‘So what are you up to today Haughtdamn? I mean besides my sister?’

‘Hey, don’t talk to my girlfriend like that’ Waverly fired back as she poured maple syrup all over the food on her plate. Chrissy and Wynonna paused and stared at the two women as they went about eating their breakfast, completely oblivious of their audience

‘Well it’s about fucking time’ Wynonna said

‘PREACH’ Chrissy shouted whilst pointing her syrup drenched fork at the eldest Earp

‘I am doing washing and shopping and catching up on my life. And then I’ll probably do your sister again’

‘You do know I can hear you right?’ Waverly asked aghast at this banter currently playing out in front of her.

‘Well, when you’ve done all that, wanna come help me with the attic? I could do with a hand laying down the floor boards up there…’

‘Sure, give me a couple of hours and I’ll head over’ Nicole said smiling. Waverly leant into Nicole and whispered

‘Does this mean I get to see you in a tool belt?’

‘If it makes you do that breathy thing in my ear then yes, yes it does…’

‘Okay, I’m out. You guys make the notebook look bleak-Nedley, wanna ride?’ Wynonna said as she stood up and put her plate in the sink

‘Yep’ Chrissy replied with a mouth full of pancake ‘Wave’s, I’ll call you later so we can talk about your new girlfriend’ she declared as she put on her coat and shoes

‘Okay, give your dad my love-tell him I’ll pop in and see him tomorrow after I’ve been into the city’ Waverly replied as she polished off a fourth pancake. Nicole walked the two women to the door and waved them off. She then turned back to Waverly, who had started to load the dishwasher and make more coffee.

‘Right, I have to go shopping, wanna join me? Or are you going to stay here?’ Nicole asked her girlfriend.

‘I’m going to come too, need to grab some bits myself, and if I’m staying here a bit more, then we need to up your fruit and veg intake’ the brunette replied, winking at her girlfriend as she pulled on her boots

Waverly and Nicole arrived at the homestead a little after 3PM on Sunday afternoon. They had shopped and Nicole had done a couple of loads of washing before heading over to join Wynonna. As they pulled to a stop in Nicole’s truck, the red head turned to her girlfriend and stopped her from getting out

‘I don’t know how to say this without sounding like an ass…’

‘What’s up?’ Waverly frowned as she stopped reaching for the door and turned to face the older woman

‘I need to spend this time with Wynonna… I don’t want this to change my relationship with her. She’s important to me, and I don’t want her to feel anything less than that… is that… does that make sense?’ Nicole asked tentatively. Waverly smiled as she took her girlfriends face in her hands

‘I think it’s absolutely right. I’m going to prep for my meeting tomorrow and then make some dinner-I don’t want to get in the way of you two, and I love how much you love my sister… You guys should do whatever it is you’re planning to do, and I’ll join you both for dinner’. Nicole leant across the central arm rest and lightly kissed Waverly on the lips

‘Thank you’ she breathed out huskily ‘I think you’re wonderful’. Waverly laughed and stroked her girlfriends face

‘You’re not so bad yourself… now come on, get inside and make my house warmer…’ the petite brunette said, reaching for the door handle and hopping out of the truck.

The homestead was quiet as Waverly opened the door and walked in

‘Jesus it’s cold in here’ she said as she walked over to the unlit fire. She instinctively went about building a new one as Nicole made her way up the stairs and towards the attic. She found the hatch open and a ladder underneath it, so Nicole climbed up and poked her head up into the roof. She found Wynonna at the far corner, struggling with a large panel of wood.

‘What are you doing up here all on your own’ the redhead asked as she pulled herself up through the hatch and started to make her way across to her friend. Wynonna spun round and let out a little scream

‘I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… wear a fucking bell dude…’

‘Sorry… so… what’s the plan? You wanna lay the flooring?’

‘Yeah, I think I’ve put most of the insulation down, now we just need to lay these out and screw them in… I mean I think… what do you think’ the raven haired woman asked, suddenly not as confident in her plan

‘I think that sounds great, where are the boards?’ Nicole asked, balancing between two lanes of insulation

‘Barn… but I reckon we can do two at a time…’ Wynonna said looking slightly sheepish. She knew it was a lot of work to ask Nicole to help her with ‘But I guess we can ask Waverly to help…’ she added, trying to soften the work load

‘Nah, I reckon we can do this… come on. It’ll be fun… you can tell me all about Dolly’

‘Fuck off’

‘No chance’ Nicole retorted, laughing at the bristly attitude from her friend. The two women made their way down the steps and out to the barn. Wynonna had followed Nicole’s previous instructions and had gone to the timber merchants to buy exactly the right size and length panels, so the hard work had already been done, and they simply had to carry them up to the attic and screw them down. It took a couple of hours and many trips, but eventually Wynonna and Nicole had all the panels in from the barn and up into the attic. Waverly had poked her head up to the attic a couple of times just to pass the women beer and tell them she was making lasagne. It was nearing 6PM by the time the first panel got laid, and whilst the women were tired, they were determined to get at least half of it done before calling it a day. Nicole had brought her tools and Dolls had left some for Wynonna, so once the women got into a rhythm, they found themselves with a floor half laid by 8PM. They were both hot and sweaty, but Wynonna felt euphoric as she could finally see all her hard work paying off. Knowing Waverly was staying made this feel all the more worth it, so it was with reluctance she finally had to admit defeat for tonight and leave the rest of the floor for another day.

Nicole climbed down the ladder and met Waverly in the hallway. She smiled at the woman in front of her as she wiped away some sweat from her brow. Waverly pulled her in for a kiss and went to wrap herself around the taller woman, but Nicole stopped her

‘Babe, I am so gross right now… I need a shower before you come any closer’

‘I like your natural scent…’

‘Absolutely not’ Nicole laughed, and held her girlfriend as arms-length. Waverly huffed, hiding a smile ‘Fine… I’ll grab you a towel… are you going to stay tonight?’

‘I don’t think so-I need to spend some time with my cat, and I need to get some sleep… but I will definitely have some lasagne before I go…’ Nicole replied. She bent down and kissed Waverly gently on the lips. Waverly smiled into the kiss and hummed out contentedly. She then watched her sister descend the ladder looking just as sweaty and just as harassed as Nicole. She smiled at her older sister and then passed the women to grab them both some fresh towels. Depositing Nicole in the bathroom, she led Wynonna downstairs so she could talk her through what the two women had been doing all afternoon. She knew they were insulating the attic, but wanted her sister to feel like what she was doing was a good thing, and that Waverly were interested and supportive. They chatted freely as Waverly dished up the lasagne, and the three women shared easy conversation as they devoured the food Waverly had spent the afternoon preparing. Wynonna said goodnight to Nicole and headed for a bath to give the new couple some privacy before Nicole disappeared. The couple stood on the porch and embraced. Neither of them wanting to break away first and neither of them really wanting Nicole to leave

‘Have a good rest of the evening with Wy…’

‘Thanks, I think it’ll be good for us to catch up-a lots happened over the last 48 hours, and I need her to know I’m okay… in fact, I’m more than okay…’ Waverly smiled as she played with the zip on Nicole’s jacket. The redhead kissed Waverly softly then pulled back and smiled

‘I’ll see you tomorrow?’

‘Absolutely… but… call me tonight before you fall asleep-just to say goodnight…’ Waverly said, trying not to sound vulnerable ‘Drive safely’

‘Of course baby… Thank you for dinner…’ Nicole replied as she pulled Waverly into her arms once more and kissed her. They eventually broke away from each other and Nicole got into her truck and drove away. Waverly walked back into the homestead with a smile on her face. She felt light for the first time in months. She felt wanted, and safe and loved, and she was already looking forward to seeing her girlfriend again.


	13. Chapter thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long guys, and its not as long as the last few, but hopefully you enjoy it...!!

Chapter thirteen

Waverly watched Nicole drive away before re-entering the house and closing and locking the door. She smiled to herself as she cleaned up in the kitchen and made herself a peppermint tea. Having Nicole close had always brought her joy, but calling the redhead her girlfriend took that joy to another level. It felt brilliant, and freeing and, well, it felt right. She had spent so long trying to figure out who she was, that she had found herself without even realising. Nicole Haught had opened her eyes to a world she didn’t think she was deserving of, and she was going to cling onto this world for all it was worth and pray it would never leave her again. 

By the time she was settled on the sofa with her tea, Wynonna had finished in the bath and was joining her for a movie in the lounge. The sisters kept a comfortable silence as they went about getting settled and it wasn’t until Waverly set up Netflix did either woman feel the need to speak. They settled on a couple of episodes of ‘Manhunter’ and sat side by side on their enormous couch. 

As the credits rolled, Waverly turned to her older sister and addressed the elephant in the room

‘I’m ready to talk about it… about him…’ she said quietly. Wynonna paused the television and turned to her little sister

‘Wave’s… we don’t have to do this…’ Wynonna said, taking Waverly’s hand and kissing her knuckle

‘No Nonna, I want to… you deserve to know what happened…’ 

‘I don’t, I don’t deserve a damn thing…’ the older brunette said, looking down at the floor. Waverly squeezed her sister’s hand to get her attention, then looked into her piercing blue eyes and smiled

‘We can’t both have a pity party Nonna… I’m sorry…’

‘Baby girl, what in heavens name have you got to be sorry about? You did nothing wrong’

‘I let you down, I lied to you, I lied to everyone… you all asked, you all tried to stop me being with him, but I just… I just thought I knew better…’ Waverly said, whilst wiping away a silent tear ‘and the thing is Nonna, I wasn’t even fucking surprised. I goaded him… I was relentless, I pushed him to it, and then I just… I forgave him… I mean… what kind of person does that?’ Waverly asked, furiously wiping the tears that refused to desist their fall. 

Wynonna scooted closer to the smaller woman and wrapped her arms around her and held her as she sobbed. Wynonna didn’t try and speak, she just allowed her little sister to finally relent to the sadness she had been carrying around. Occasionally Wynonna made soothing sounds, but in the main she just held the tiny woman. Eventually, Waverly pulled away from the embrace and wiped away her tears. Wynonna looked her in the eye

‘Now listen to me… None of this, and I mean NONE of this is on you baby girl. It doesn’t matter if you goaded him, it doesn’t matter if you pushed him, it doesn’t matter if you knew deep down he would snap… HE did this, not you. HE is responsible for his behaviour. HE lost control. HE raised his hand. You are NOT to blame for this… You were a victim Waverly-and you know full well that victims are not to blame… You haven’t let anyone down, and I have never been more proud of you’ The older woman said. Waverly looked up at her with sad eyes

‘I’m sorry I lied…’ She whispered. Wynonna pulled her into her once more

‘I’m sorry too… I’m sorry for everything… I’m sorry for Daddy and Willa, I’m sorry I was a coward and I ran away as soon as I could, I’m sorry I left you, and I’m so so sorry I didn’t come back sooner… But I promise you Waverly, I’m not leaving again… This is where I want to be… This is my home-YOU are my home…’ Waverly blinked at her sister’s admission and then started to cry once more, but these were different tears. They were tears of relief. She had been worrying in the back of her mind that Wynonna would bolt once more. She was so busy convincing herself that this wasn’t a permanent arrangement that she hadn’t allowed herself to hope anything different. The sisters embraced once more before Wynonna got up and declared they needed whisky immediately. The taller woman grabbed two glasses and re-joined her sister on the couch. She poured them both a healthy measure and raised her glass to her sister

‘We are awesome, let us never forget’ she said with a smile and a wink. Waverly laughed and brought their glasses together. They started Netflix back up and settled down to watch it, Waverly curled up around her sisters side. Wynonna wasn’t one for much contact, but she pushed the familiar feelings of awkwardness aside and put her arm around Waverly once more and kissed the top of her head. They fell into silence and absorbed the programme in front of them, neither women feeling the need to say anything further, and both the women feeling like a weight had finally been lifted between them. 

Nicole was just finishing hanging up some clothes when her phone started to ring. Seeing Waverly’s name on the screen brought a smile to her face and she sat down on her bed before answering the call

‘Hey baby…’ The redhead purred breathily

‘Ew…’ came the reply ‘Its Wynonna… Waves drank too much and passed out, but I figured you’d probably be expecting a call, so wanted to let you know she’s all good… she just… you know… can’t take her liquor’

‘Okay… everything alright over there?’ Nicole asked sceptically. Of the two Earp’s, Wynonna was definitely the drinker, so the Officer was surprised to hear Waverly had hit the bottle again so soon after the night before

‘Yeah it’s fine. We talked about Champ, sort of cleared the air a bit-then I forced her to drink-she’s just sleepy, so it’s all good-she didn’t drink that much…’ 

‘Good, I’m glad you talked to her… hey, you wanna have lunch tomorrow? I’m not sure what’s going on at work and chances are I’m going to spend my morning hearing all about Tucker… I could do with a distraction…’ Wynonna seemed to perk up at the suggestion and agreed to come to the station for Nicole’s break. 

 

After hanging up the phone and putting away her laundry, Nicole finally felt like she was starting to get her life back on track-she had spent too long neglecting everyday things, so spent the remainder of the evening in bed sorting through her post and paying long overdue bills. Calamity Jane skulked into the room and hopped up onto the bed. Nicole momentarily stopped what she was doing and paid her cat the attention she deserved. Cats are fickle creatures, but Nicole had always managed to keep in CJ’s good books until now. She patted her lap and tried to coax the enormous animal onto her lap. The orange fur ball scowled at Nicole before relenting and plopping down onto Nicole’s thighs. 

‘Now isn’t this better then you sulking at me’ Nicole said as she stroked the fiery fur ball. Nicole continued sorting through her correspondence whilst petting her companion, and pretty soon CJ gave in completely and fell asleep, a contented purr vibrating from the mound of fur. Nicole finished up reading and settled down herself. She turned her bedside lamp off and made sure her alarm was set early enough for her to get a run in before work. She needed to get back into some sort of routine and she needed to get her work life balance back. That balance started with lunch with Wynonna Earp

 

Entering the station the next morning, Nicole could sense a change. There was a tension she hadn’t felt before, and she was pretty sure it had to do with the Gardner investigation. She walked into the break room and grabbed a cup of coffee before heading to her desk for a hand over with Mike. Mike looked tired, but had assured her the night shift hadn’t been taxing. He filled Nicole in on the last 48 hours and her hunch had been right, Gardner hadn’t said so much as a peep since being brought in her. Lucado and Rashid had been on him for 12 hours a day for the last two days, and he hadn’t even uttered confirmation of his name. He had lawyered up and was making this as difficult as he could for the Cranbrook Officers. Nicole sipped her coffee as she listened to the update. There was nothing she could do to help, which she found almost as frustrating. As Mike was leaving, Lucado appeared and asked Nicole to join her in Nedley’s office. Although she was higher ranked, it didn’t sit well with any of the Purgatory Sheriff Department Officer’s that their Chiefs office was being used. Nicole followed the blonde woman in and shut the door behind her.

‘Please, take a seat Nicole’ Lucado said warmly. Nicole nodded her head and sat down.

‘How was your weekend?’ Lucado asked. Nicole was caught off guard by the question so took a moment to answer

‘It was good thank you Ma’am. How are you getting on with Gardner? Mike said there wasn’t a lot of progress…’

‘Mike is right… We are stuck. He won’t say a damn thing… We are waiting for the DA to look over the files before we charge-we think we have enough evidence, it’s just a matter of getting the DA to agree… It would just be so much easier if Tucker wasn’t so damn stubborn…’

‘Yeah, he is definitely that. Erm… for the sake of transparency Ma’am, I entered into an exclusive relationship with Waverly Earp this weekend, so really can’t have anything to do with this or with Champ Hardy’s prosecution’. Nicole knew it was the right thing to do, but it grated on her that there was even a suggestion that her professional integrity could be called into question. Lucado leant back in her chair and smiled at the younger woman

‘Well at least one of us had a successful weekend. I appreciate your honesty Nicole. I have to get back to it-wish us luck’

‘We’re all rooting for you Ma’am, and have faith…’ Nicole said as she stood up and headed back out into the bullpen. She grabbed her keys and went out on patrol. The rest of her morning was spent out in the community, either driving the boundaries of the district or walking through the town and showing a police presence. She chatted to local business owners and helped some of the older residents get across the main street. She felt like she was getting back into a community that had been neglected for too long. All of the PSD had been pre-occupied with the Gardner case that it felt like the locals had taken a step back in priority-which of course they had, but it didn’t sit right with any of the local constabulary. 

As Nicole walked back towards the precinct to check Mortimer was okay before she took her lunch, she saw the tell-tale red jeep and a flash of brunette hair climbing out of it. She smiled to herself as she approached the parked vehicle. Waverly turned and saw the redhead approaching her, so leant back on the door of her car and smiled at her girlfriend

‘Well hello there Officer Haught…’ the smaller woman said, a smile spreading across her face. Nicole leant down and briefly kissed Waverly on the lips before inhaling deeply and smiling 

‘Ms Earp… pleasure to see you Ma’am… How you doing? Did you sleep?’ 

‘I did, thank you-I was exhausted-I literally had two whiskeys and passed out! Sorry I didn’t call-but I hear my sister kept you updated…’ Nicole laughed and pushed a couple of strands of hair out of Waverly’s eyes

‘No worries baby, I’m glad you slept… What time are you heading to your new place of work?’ Nicole asked, pride swelling in her chest

‘Leaving in a couple of minutes, I’ve just got to drop Wynonna’s phone off to her-can I see you later?’

‘Absolutely’ Nicole replied as she opened the station doors for Waverly and followed her inside. As they entered, Lucado and Rashid were transferring Tucker Gardner from the interview room back to the cells to feed him lunch and they all met at the bullpen at the same time. Nicole quickly stood between Waverly and Tucker, but it was too late-Gardner had seen the brunette and was struggling against the Officers trying to get a glimpse of the tiny woman.

‘Waverly… Waverly help me... Help them understand Waverly I was protecting you… Waverly look at me please’ He pleaded as he screamed his words out to the entire station. Nicole spun on her heel and gently took hold of Waverly, quickly leading her out of the station and back out onto the street. Lucado and Rashid were still trying to get Tucker under control as he carried on shouting out to anyone that would listen, begging Waverly to come back. 

 

Nicole led Waverly round to the side of the station and away from the main street. Waverly looked startled more than upset, but welcomed the Officers arms wrapping around her. The couple stood for a minute, silently holding each other. Eventually Nicole pulled away and lifted Waverly’s chin with her fingers so they could look each other in the eye.

‘You okay?’

‘Yeah… I just didn’t realise how bad it was you know… I haven’t really seen it… Shit… That was…. Fuck…’ The brunette replied. She wiped away a tear and drew Nicole back in for a hug. 

‘Ms Earp’ Lucado said from behind them. Neither Waverly nor Nicole had heard her approach, so were caught off guard. Waverly pulled away from the embrace, but remained close

‘I’m sorry you just experienced that-we weren’t expecting to see you-we would never want you to be confronted by Mr Gardner’

‘No its fine, please don’t worry-I was only popping in to see my sister, but maybe I should steer clear of the station completely until this is all sorted out’ Waverly replied steadily

‘I think that would be wise Ms Earp… I’m glad to see you are not too shaken up…’ Lucado smiled at the two women and then turned to Nicole

‘Haught, could you join me in Nedley’s office please when you return to the station?’

‘Absolutely Ma’am, I’ll be right behind you’ Nicole replied. She wanted to check Waverly was really okay before returning to work, and she wasn’t about to do so in front of Lucado. The blonde woman nodded and smiled at Waverly once more before turning back to the station and walking away. Nicole watched her go, and then faced her girlfriend once more. 

‘I better get back… you sure you’re okay?’ She asked again. Waverly nodded an affirmative then leant into Nicole and kissed her softly on the lips. Waverly hadn’t intended to lengthen the kiss, but Nicole had other ideas and as the taller woman reached her arms around the lower back of the brunette, Waverly found herself running her fingers through baby hairs at the back of Nicole’s neck. They eventually pulled away and Nicole smiled down at the hazel eyes looking up at her.

‘Call me when you finish with Matt, I wanna hear all about it’ Nicole breathed

‘I will… and I’ll see you tonight yeah?’

‘Absolutely… Shall I cook dinner?’ The Officer asked

‘That sounds perfect’ came the reply. 

They kissed once more before saying their goodbyes. Nicole took the phone from Waverly to give to Wynonna and made her way inside. She found Lucado sitting once again sitting behind Nedley’s desk

‘Shut the door please Deputy’ Lucado ordered, a slightly clipped tone in her voice. Nicole wasn’t sure where this attitude was coming from, but she had a sneaking suspicion she was about to be informed

‘Your girlfriend should not have been in the station in the first place’ the blonde woman started as soon as the door was closed

‘With all due respect Ma’am…’

‘No Nicole, there is nothing to say here, you’ve brought your private life to work and I don’t like it’ 

‘Ma’am as I was about to say…’ But Nicole was cut off once more by the agitated Officer

‘Officer Haught this is not up for discussion’ she barked

‘Actually Ma’am it is.’ Nicole said firmly, pulling her shoulders back to her full height

‘Watch it deputy’ was all Lucado said, sounding less sure of herself

‘No Ma’am, I won’t. I understand you’re frustrated with the situation, we all are, but I will not stand here and listen to you take it out on me’

‘Deputy Haught’ Lucado shouted

‘NO Ma’am’ Nicole said, matching both the tone and the volume of the woman in front of her 

‘Waverly Earp came in to drop her sisters phone off. Her sister and her business partner RENT that office from this department under the agreement of Sheriff Nedley and Judge McKinnley. If you want to ban Waverly Earp from this station, you will HAVE to speak to Xavier Dolls and Wynonna Earp. Her appearance this morning had absolutely NOTHING to do with me, and I resent the implication that it does. Now if you don’t mind Ma’am, I have a lunch break to take, and I almost certainly need some air’ and with that, Nicole turned and marched towards the door

‘Officer Haught, we are not done yet’. Nicole opened the door and turned back to the woman behind

‘Yes we are Ma’am’ and then Nicole left the office and headed out into the street. Wynonna had been in the bullpen when Nicole had gone into the office and was standing by Lonnie’s desk eavesdropping when Nicole had thrown open the door. 

‘That’s my cue Lonnie my friend’ the brunette said and then picked up her pace and followed the redhead outside.


	14. Chapter fourteen

Nicole wasn’t too sure where she was storming off to, but she knew that she was most definitely storming off. She heard the doors to the station open after her and the voice of her friend carry across the road towards her

‘Hold up red… don’t make me run…’ Wynonna shouted with a booming voice and very little class. Nicole took a deep breath and spun round to face the brunette

‘Well come on then…’ Nicole said in an exasperated tone. Wynonna picked up her pace and finally came face to face with the Officer.

‘Where we heading?’ Wynonna asked, slightly out of breath. Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose

‘I have no idea… I just had to get out… but now I’ve made the grand gesture, I can’t quite decide what to do next…’

‘Well then… To Shorty’s’ Wynonna announced before linking her arm with her friend and dragging her inside the bar. 

After some duress, Wynonna managed to convince Nicole to order some food and a club soda and parked her in a booth at the back of the bar. As soon as they were seated, Wynonna dove straight in with the question

‘So what the hell was all that about?’

‘Oh it was nothing really’

‘Bullshit’

‘What?’

‘Bullshit. I’m calling bullshit’

‘It’s not bullshit’

‘It is! It IS bullshit Nicole. You never raise your voice, you never get agitated and I’ve never met someone who holds rank in such high esteem-but I just heard you lose your shit at a woman ranked higher than you… so I say again… I’m calling bullshit’. Nicole took a deep breath and looked away. Wynonna played Nicole at her own game and just waited it out.

‘Okay fine. She accused me of allowing my relationship with Waverly to cloud my judgement and basically of bringing my personal life to work’

‘That it?’

‘What do you mean that it? That not enough?’

‘Well your relationship WILL have an impact with your job. How can it not?’ Wynonna stated matter of factly. Nicole exhaled slowly whilst trying to keep her temper in check with her friend opposite her

‘Why do you say that?’ Nicole asked

‘Because how can it not. You’ve already had to recuse yourself from the Gardner case AND the Champ Hardy case. It HAS had an effect’

‘Yeah, okay, I see your point, but she accused me of bringing Waverly into the station with me, when she was actually coming in to see YOU. So I’m pissed that she suggests I’m asking my girlfriend to come to my place of work, when it had fuck all to do with me…’

‘How good does that sound?’ Wynonna asked grinning at the redhead

‘What?’ Nicole asked looking completely perplexed

‘Calling Waves your girlfriend’. Nicole smiled at her and relaxed

‘Feels pretty fucking wonderful actually’ she replied. Wynonna smiled at her friend, noticing the tension lift slightly from her shoulders. They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment

‘I get what you’re saying Wy, I really do-and you’re right, my relationship will have an impact, but it WASN’T having one at that moment…’

‘I know Cole… but you know what you need to do…’

‘Suck it up?’ Nicole said drily

‘Oh hell no-if in doubt, go to the head honcho’ Wynonna replied as their food was placed in front of them. Nicole blinked at her friend and then a huge smile spread across her face

‘You are a fucking genius’ Nicole said. Wynonna barked out a laugh 

‘Not just a hat stand red’ the brunette replied whilst winking. The rest of their lunch was full of chatter of a different kind. They agreed that Nicole would go and see Nedley after work, and she would then meet Wynonna at Shorty’s for a game of pool and a debrief. 

As much as she didn’t want to, Nicole had to return to work when her lunch hour was over. By the time she walked back into the station, Lucado disappeared, so the station was relatively quiet. Well, it was quiet until Mortimer took a call from Steve Guppy requesting help out at his farm. His herd of cattle had managed to break through one of his fences and he was currently trying to get them off the road and control the traffic all on his own. Nicole and Mortimer tossed a coin, and Nicole lost-so she found herself surrounded by cows in the middle of the road for the rest of the afternoon

 

Waverly took her time getting into the city. She knew where she was going and could probably drive to it with her eyes closed, but this morning’s events with Tucker had affected her more than she wanted to admit. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel safe, more that she hadn’t really spent much time thinking about the obsession as she hadn’t really been privy to it. But seeing it up close this morning had spooked her. Gardner needed help, that much was clear-but there was a niggling feeling of ‘what if he gets off’ 

She arrived at the campus with half an hour to spare, so she parked up and headed towards the only decent coffee shop in the area. She ordered her flat white and took a window seat to watch the comings and goings of the building opposite her. She took her phone out and saw she had a text from Wynonna

Nonna: baby girl red has had a rough day so I’m planning a couple of drinks after her shift-come meet us at Shorty’s and I’ll buy you a drink*

*by that I mean hot stuff will...

Waverly frowned and checked to see if Nicole had messaged her, but she hadn’t, so she dialled her girlfriends number on the off chance she’d answer whilst on duty. As the brunette thought, Nicole’s phone went straight to voicemail, so Waverly left a quick message and hung up. She then tried her sister, finding better luck as Wynonna answered within two rings

‘Guuuuuuurl’ Wynonna drawled down the phone to her younger sister

‘I mean... I don’t even know what to do with that...’ the younger woman replied ‘what’s up with Nicole?’ 

‘Lucado is a bitch’

‘Why?’ Waverly asked, mildly exasperated with her older sibling

‘Oh I don’t know, something about you being in the station was Redwoods fault’

‘Please don’t call her Redwood’ 

‘But she is literally the height of one’

‘Okay, clearly you don’t know how to use the term literally...’

‘Whatever baby girl-Lucado lost her shit and Nicole stood her ground-all I’m saying is she’ll need relaxing, and as I’m now assuming I’m no longer allowed to help out in the bedroom department, I thought I’d keep her company whilst you’re at work’

‘You were NEVER allowed to help out that way... and please don’t ever say that again’

‘You’re getting sassy in your old age’

‘And you are getting more infuriating... I’ll let you know my ETA and meet you at the bar’

‘Word’ Wynonna replied. Waverly laughed at her sister 

‘You’re an idiot’ the younger woman said before they said their goodbyes. 

Waverly finished off her coffee and made her way to Matt Turnball’s office in the history department at the university. She knocked on his door and waited for a response. She heard her former tutor shuffling around behind the door and then smiled at him when he threw the door open to greet her

‘Waverly, right on time… come on it’. He opened the door to his office and Waverly followed him inside. There was a large desk in front of two large windows and a smaller desk to the side of the room. The larger desk was the professors, and it was piled high with books and papers. The smaller desk was empty apart from a laptop and a printer.

‘As you can see, I am a secretly an absolute mess when it comes to my own work place, please take a seat’ the older man said with a smile whilst gesturing to the chair opposite his own. Waverly laughed and sat down. She grabbed her notepad and they spent the next five hours discussing the outline of his book, and what exactly he wanted Waverly to be involved in. The time had raced by as they got more and more excited by the prospect of the work in front of them. Matt was an impassioned speaker of Wild West history and it was one of the reasons why Waverly had taken his class in the first place. They had an easy rapport with each other and it became apparent very quickly that they were going to enjoy working together immensely.

She would act as a researcher, specifically bringing her knowledge of the ghost river triangle and her family line to the book. She would be treated not as his assistant, but as his peer, and in return he would pay her for three days a week. She could do two days at home, and one with him at the office, and the spare desk would be her work station. He was also willing to alternate which days she would work, and was happy for Waverly to choose her own days. In short, he wanted her on board, and was planning to do whatever it took to get the youngest Earp to agree. 

Waverly wasn’t just flattered she was astounded. Her name had been associated in her town for so long as a name to avoid and sometimes fear, and yet here was a man she had long admired, a scholar and respected educator not only wanting her to be involved in the writing of a history book, but willing to work around her in order to sign her up to the project. They agreed that Waverly would read what Matt had written so far, and familiarise herself with the work, and then they would make a structure of what he would like her to concentrate on first. The work was more bullet points than a full manuscript, and seemed to be about 80 pages long. She left with the papers and promised to call him on Thursday once she had managed to read through his notes and get a sense of what should be tackled first. 

By the time she got back to her car it was almost 7.30PM. She tried to call Nicole again, but once again got her voicemail, so she left another quick message saying she’d meet her and Wynonna at Shorty’s. She then sent a quick text to Wynonna giving her an ETA and started her way back to Purgatory, a feeling of accomplishment and a sense of pride as she thought about all that had happened that afternoon. 

 

Nicole Haught was pissed. She was cold, she was soaking wet and she was covered in cow shit. Having spent all afternoon chasing cattle from one field to the next and across various roads, she and Steve had finally managed to get all the animals into an adjacent field which was fully fenced and had a lockable gate. Steve had been apologetic and grateful, and Steve’s wife Kate had provided her with a chicken and vegetable pie as a thank you. 

‘At least I don’t have to cook dinner tonight’ Nicole said as she received the pastry dish with a smile on her face. She clambered back into the cruiser and made her way back to the station to file a report and scold John for not coming out to assist when she’d been gone longer than planned. She had a feeling Lucado had played a part in that decision. She pulled up to the station and climbed out of the car and trudged into the bullpen. As soon as she got there though it was clear something had happened. The station was a hive of activity as Lonnie and John were both on the phones and Rashid was at the computer at the spare desk opposite her

‘Hey, what’s going on?’ Nicole asked as she switched on her computer. Before Rashid got out a reply, Nicole heard a door open behind her and Lucado beckon her into the office. Rashid gave her a weak smile as she took a deep breath

‘Good luck’ he said to her quietly

‘HA! Thanks… I have a feeling I’m going to need it’ Nicole said as she returned his smile. She pushed her shoulders back and walked into the office.

‘Close the door please Nicole and sit down’ Lucado said, not unkindly. Nicole did as she was asked and took the seat opposite the blonde.

‘Look’ The detective started ‘I owe you an apology. I jumped to conclusions about why Ms Earp was in the station and for that, I am sorry’. Lucado said, looking Nicole directly in the eye

‘Thank you Ma’am, I appreciate that’

‘However, I’m afraid the lack of discipline that then followed out conversation is something I can’t condone’ Lucado continued, maintaining eye contact. ‘And IF Tucker Gardner hadn’t confessed to running down Randy Nedley thirty minutes ago, I would be moving you onto the night shift indefinitely, but it appears we have our confession, and will be heading back to Cranbrook once we have secured the transportation of the prisoner-so you are off the hook Officer Haught’

Nicole was stunned. She was not expecting the conversation to turn out quite how it had, so she was slightly lost for words

‘Make no mistake Nicole, you got off lightly’ Lucado said, before smiling slightly. Nicole looked at the detective and smiled back, flashing her signature dimples. 

‘I believe your shift is over and as this is a win for the Purgatory Sheriff’s Department, Mortimer has agreed to pull a double shift so you and your team can celebrate together-I suggest you shower first though Haught, you smell of cows’

‘Yes Ma’am’ Nicole said as she got up to leave the office

‘Oh and Nicole…’

‘Ma’am?’ Nicole said, pausing at the door

‘I will be following your career with a keen interest-if you EVER disobey a higher ranking officer again, I will personally make sure this goes on record-do I make myself clear?’

‘Abundantly Ma’am’ Nicole replied before she turned on her heel and left the office. She walked back to her desk and caught Rashid’s eye

‘See… she’s not all bad…’ He said with a wink

‘Yeah… she’s certainly surprising… Congratulations on Gardner, it’s an amazing result’

‘It was all Waverly Earp actually. The minute he saw her, poor guy couldn’t stop crying. He had to be restrained and left to calm down. Then suddenly, about an hour ago he said he was ready to talk. We got his lawyer over and that was it-confessed to everything. The stalking, the hit and run… He is one sick man’ Rashid said. Nicole nodded her head in agreement

‘Has Nedley been told?’ She asked. 

‘Yeah, I think Lucado called him as soon as she got out of the interview- I think Waverly needs to be told-but I guess she was waiting to tell you first so you could break the news to her yourself’ Rashid said, smiling once again towards the office where Lucado was talking on the phone animatedly. He then stood and put his hand out to Nicole

‘It’s been a pleasure Nicole-I’m only sorry for the circumstances in which we found ourselves working together…’

‘You too Vikram, thanks so much for all the work you did-you guys have been an incredible support to us here’ She said as she took the pro-offered hand and shook it. She then went to find Mortimer to do the same. Mortimer and Nicole had built a solid working partnership and she was sad to see him go.

Once she had said her thank you’s and goodbyes, Nicole jumped into her squad car and headed for home. She pulled up outside her house and ran inside to grab a quick shower and put the pie in the fridge for later. As she was stripping off, she turned her cell on for the first time. She listened to a couple of voicemails from Waverly-first one asking what had happened with Lucado, and the second left five minutes ago saying she was on her way back to Purgatory and she’d see her in Shorty’s. Nicole dialled her girlfriend’s number, hoping she had her hands free plugged in. She listened to phone ring for a while before realising she was out of luck, so she continued her way to the bathroom and got into a hot shower.

Once she was washed and dressed, she fed Calamity and headed out to meet Wynonna and the boys from the station at Shorty’s. She walked quickly through the town and was inside and at the bar in less than ten minutes.

The bar was heaving with people-clearly the news of Tucker Gardner’s confession had got out to the public-and looking at the state Lonnie and Mike were in already, Nicole had a pretty good idea how. She noticed Wynonna behind the bar, helping out Gus and their Monday night barman Max. As soon as Wynonna caught a glimpse of Nicole, she poured two shots of Whisky and made her way over to her-ignoring the calls for beer from the locals as she went

‘Glad to see you here Haught stuff’ the brunette said as she placed the shots in front of them. 

‘Good to be here…’ Nicole said, raising her glass to her friend before downing the amber liquid

‘You need to go and drink with your gang…’ Wynonna said as she gestured to Mike, Lonnie, his wife, Brenda and a guy Nicole didn’t know, but assumed was Brenda’s husband. Nicole knew Wynonna was right, they deserved to celebrate this victory together. So she ordered a round of shots and beers, and headed over to the inebriated group with the tray of liquor. She was met with loud cheers as she approached, and received hugs from all of them ‘Yep’ Nicole thought to herself ‘definitely drunk’. She settled down with her team and joined them in celebrating and toasting the team from Cranbrook for a job very well done.

Waverly pulled up outside Shorty’s and knew instantly that something big had happened. The bar was full and the jukebox had been turned up louder than usual for a Monday night. She saw Gus in the middle of the bar collecting glasses, so went over to find out what had brought half the town out on a Monday night. As Waverly made her way through the crowd, she noticed Nicole with her co-workers in the corner, downing shots and laughing at something Mike had just said, so instead of going to her aunt, she re-directed herself and set her sights on her girlfriend. As she approached the group, Nicole looked up from her beer and smiled at her girlfriend. 

‘Hey guys…’ Waverly said as she got to the group. This was met with a chorus of shouts and cheers from Lonnie and Mike. Even Brenda had a flushed face and a beer in her hand-which very rarely happened. Nicole jumped to her feet and clambered over Lonnie’s wife Emma , so she could greet her girlfriend properly. She went to kiss the brunette, but then stopped herself. Whilst they had finally decided what they were to each other, they hadn’t established how they were going to be in public. Waverly, sensing Nicole’s hesitation, took matters into her own hand and pulled Nicole down to her and kissed her lovingly on the lips. 

‘Hey’ she said as she smiled up at her girlfriend. Nicole had a grin on her face when she opened her eyes and looked down at the smaller woman.

‘Hey… Can we go somewhere and I can explain all this…’ The redhead asked. Waverly nodded in agreement and took Nicole’s hand

‘I’ll deliver her back to you in a minute guys okay?’ She said as she smiled at the group in front of her. They nodded their agreements and then turned their attention back to Lonnie who instantly denied that it was his round. Waverly led Nicole through the bar and out to the office at the back. She closed the door between the bar and them and then turned to look at her girlfriend

‘So what’s up Officer?’ Waverly asked, a hint of seduction in her voice. Nicole smiled at her and stepped closer so there was very little space between them. Waverly leant back against the door and pulled Nicole in to her once more, bringing their hips flush against one another. Nicole leant in and kissed Waverly softly. Waverly moaned into the kiss and tried to pull Nicole even closer to her. Nicole’s right arm was leaning against the door frame above Waverly’s head, and Waverly thought it was one of the sexiest things she had ever seen. 

‘We had some news this afternoon at work…’ Nicole started, pulling herself back slightly so she could look Waverly in the eye

‘Tucker Gardner confessed. To Nedley, to the stalking, to everything… It’s over Waves…’ She said whilst she maintained eye contact with the smaller woman. Waverly smiled up at her girlfriend. She had assumed that something along those lines must have happened, but was relieved to hear the news officially from an officer of the law-even if that Officer was slightly tipsy and had lipstick smeared on her lips.

‘Congratulations baby…’ Waverly said as she played with the hairs on the back of Nicole’s neck.

‘How was your day? I wanna hear everything’ Nicole asked. Waverly smiled up at her once more

‘Later baby, I’ll tell you later-I better give Gus and Nonna a hand… Can I still stay with you tonight?’

‘I am banking on it’ Nicole said seriously. They kissed once more, and then retreated from their hiding place and re-joined the bar, Waverly throwing Nicole a wink as she looked back at her girlfriend. Waverly then took her jacket off, rolled up the sleeves to her white shirt and settled in for a long night of drunken celebrating

The bar continued to be busy for another couple of hours before Gus had finally had enough and called last orders. As neither Waverly nor Wynonna were supposed to be working tonight, once the crowd had started to die down, it was decided Max and Gus could handle the half empty bar and the ladies joined the now incredibly drunk Officers in the corner booth. Chrissy Nedley had also joined them during the evening and was looking a little worse for wear. Nicole was definitely the more sober out of everybody, and as soon as Waverly approached, she was putting her coat on and saying her goodbyes. The group barely registered her decision to make her escape, and Wynonna only shot her a wink before assuring Waverly she would make sure Chrissy got home safely. 

The two women left Shorty’s and headed for Waverly’s jeep. The fresh air hit Nicole full in the face and she realised she was perhaps a little drunker than she had intended to get. Waverly started the jeep up and navigated her way to Nicole’s place quickly. It was barely 10.30PM when they pulled up to Nicole’s little house on the outskirts of town. Waverly turned the jeep off and shifted in her seat to look at her tipsy girlfriend

‘What are you smiling at you little drunkard?’ Waverly teased with a smile

‘You…’ Nicole said simply ‘And I’m not a little drunkard’ she added indignantly. Waverly laughed and pulled her in for a kiss.

‘Come on you, I’m freezing and very hungry… you better have food Haught’

‘I haven’t just got food, I’ve got PIE’ Nicole announced proudly ‘I love pastry… it’s like porn…’

‘You like porn?’ Waverly asked with an eye brow raised

‘Well porn is like pastry-I shouldn’t like it as much as I do, but when you find good pie… man it’s hard to resist…’

Waverly laughed at her drunk girlfriend again

‘Oh I cannot WAIT to remind you of this conversation in the morning… come on Hefner, come show me your pie’ the smaller woman said as she got out of the jeep and made her way to Nicole’s front door

 

Twenty minutes later both women were dressed in sweats and t-shirts and had a heated pie dish in front of them. They neglected to go for plates, and opted instead to just dive right in with their forks. Waverly had her second beer in front of her and Nicole had a very large glass of water. They caught up on their days respectively, Waverly chatting animatedly about her day with Matt and Nicole filling her girlfriend in on the argument with Lucado and subsequent apology. 

After they’d eaten, Nicole insisted she cleaned up whilst Waverly had a shower-once again falling into a domestic pattern without even meaning to. Nicole turned off all the lights and locked the doors before making her way upstairs and into her bedroom. Waverly was out of the shower and was moisturising her legs as Nicole entered, and it took Nicole’s breath away. She had hoped their relationship would progress into something, but having Waverly here, in her house, doing something as mundane as rubbing moisturiser onto her legs felt like the best feeling in the world. It felt like they’d been doing this forever and like it was the natural progression for both of them. Waverly looked up at her girlfriend and caught her staring at her

‘You okay there baby?’ She asked with a grin on her face

‘Just… god you’re beautiful…’ the redhead replied

‘Oh hush’ Waverly said as she returned her attention back to her legs

‘You are… I just… I can’t believe I get to see this side of you… You are so pretty and I like you so much… I just… you take my breath away’ Nicole said. Waverly stopped what she was doing once again and looked at the older woman in front of her

‘How drunk are you?’

‘Sober enough to remember all this’ Nicole replied ‘but it would be irresponsible of me to get behind the wheel of a car’

‘Okay…’ Waverly nodded as she walked slowly towards the redhead ‘you are about to get so so lucky…’ 

‘Yeah?’ Nicole asked as Waverly wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, her hands instinctively reaching to play with Nicole’s hair

‘Oh yeah…’ the brunette replied, backing Nicole up to the bed and pushing her down onto the mattress. The smaller woman made light work of undressing as she was only wearing one of Nicole’s baggy t-shirts in the first place. Nicole inhaled sharply as she watched her girlfriend take the t shirt off and throw it off the bed. Waverly looked utterly perfect to Nicole, who managed to quickly undress and pull Waverly on top of her. Their lips met once again and as Waverly moved to straddle Nicole, the redhead flipped their positions and had Waverly lying upon the mattress in one swift move. The sex felt different for both of them. It was tender, and loving and filled with an intensity neither women had experienced before. They held each other through-out and maintained eye contact during the moments that would usually have them closing their eyes in pleasure. 

Both gasping for breath and sweaty from the exertion, the women fell against each other panting. Waverly pulled Nicole into her and wrapped her arms around the taller woman. Often with women, Nicole would find herself the one doing the holding as she was usually taller, but with Waverly that wasn’t always the case. More often than not Nicole would find herself the little spoon as the tiny woman pulled her impossibly close and held her like her life depended on it. Waverly kissed the top of Nicole’s brow and sighed contentedly

‘I don’t think I could ever get tired of this’ Waverly whispered into Nicole’s hair line. The redhead kissed the smaller woman’s collarbone and smiled

‘Good job really… I’m planning on sticking around…’ Nicole replied as she stifled a yawn. Waverly started running her hands through Nicole’s hair absentmindedly and chuckled

‘Well thank god for that…’ the smaller woman said as she listened to Nicole’s breath even out and her girlfriend start to snore quietly. As she continued to stroke the red hair against her chest Waverly couldn’t stop herself from kissing the top of Nicole’s head once more. She sighed and smiled as she caught a waft of Nicole’s shampoo. Nicole had moved her leg over Waverly’s, effectively pinning the smaller woman to the bed, but Waverly didn’t mind. She leant up and turned off the side light on the bedside table and settled down with her lover in her arms

‘What are you doing to me Nicole Haught…’ She whispered once more as she again started to stroke her girlfriend’s hair and listen to her sleeping. Waverly was a goner. She knew that already. She knew she didn’t want to think about a life without Nicole Haught and she knew she was terrified of that prospect. What she didn’t know was when she could tell Nicole how she was feeling. She knew that she was falling in love-if she wasn’t there already-but she also knew there were a million jokes out there about lesbians and U-Haul trucks and she didn’t want to scare the Officer away. So she decided to let it stay inside her for now. Instead of telling Nicole how she felt, she would whisper it into her hair in the dead of night whilst the woman lay upon her sleeping soundly. So that’s what she did. She tightened her arms, she closed her eyes and she kissed her lovers head and whispered

‘I love you Nicole Haught’


	15. Chapter fifteen

The alarm pierced through the silence of the bedroom. Nicole groaned and rolled over to turn it off, untangling herself from the body she was wrapped around. Waverly shifted and stretched out with a contented sigh. Her attention was brought back to the grumbling redhead next to her who was muttering about the time and crawling back towards the brunette

‘Poor baby... are you hung over?’ Waverly teased with a smile. Nicole harrumphed next to her, moving a hand to cradle her forehead

‘I thought you weren’t drunk?’

‘I lied...’ Nicole grumbled. Waverly looked over at her girlfriend and laughed. She then slinked her naked form over the woman next to her and straddled her torso, trapping Nicole’s arms in the process.

‘Well you know what they say about how to cure a hangover’ she whispered seductively

‘Enlighten me...’ Nicole purred, feeling Waverly starting to grind down upon her stomach. Waverly’s wetness was evident upon her torso and it shot a bolt of pleasure right to Nicole’s core. Waverly leant down so she was inches away from Nicole’s lips, but just out of reach from the redhead, her long brunette hair draping around them, cocooning them in their own private oasis

Waverly reached down her own body and ran her fingers over her wetness, then glided them up to her clit, gently rubbing herself. 

‘This...’ Waverly breathed out in Nicole’s ear. Nicole shivered at the sensation of both the words and the action

‘That so?’ The older woman replied, her body responding to Waverly’s actions. 

Waverly kept herself just out of reach as she started to bring herself to climax on Nicole’s torso. Nicole’s entire body tingled as she felt Waverly set a rhythm, and could only watch in awe as her girlfriend performed for her. Her mind short circuited as she felt the tell tale sign that Waverly was satisfied by the drips on her stomach. The brunette lay still for a moment upon Nicole’s body, trying to catch her breath, before she kissed her way down Nicole’s body and made the descent down to where Nicole needed to feel her the most. Waverly was doing a fine job of worshipping the body of Nicole Haught, and Nicole had no complaints. Waverly flattened her tongue and slowly ran it from Nicole’s wetness up to the redhead’s clit. She slowly repeated this action several times before Nicole finally started to lose patience

‘Baby... please’ she breathed out as she ran her hands through long brown hair. Waverly repeated her journey slowly once more before focusing solely on her girlfriend’s clit. As she felt Nicole writhe above her, Waverly decided the time for teasing was over and slowly pushed two fingers into Nicole’s wetness and curled her fingers in such a way that she knew drove Nicole crazy

‘Fuck baby...’ Nicole managed to breathe out as Waverly set an impossibly slow rhythm. The brunette listened to her girlfriend’s gasps as she started to pick up the pace, and before too long Nicole was coming undone around her. She continued to slowly caress Nicole as the redhead rode out her orgasm.

‘Come here you’ Nicole said as she led Waverly back up to lie on top of her. Waverly did as she was told and crawled back up to face her girlfriend, lying fully across her and kissing the taller woman’s collarbone as she was engulfed in the Officers arms. They lay there still for a moment, Waverly relishing being held so tightly. Just as they started to drift back off to sleep, Nicole’s back up alarm went off, eliciting a groan from both women.

‘I have never wanted to call in sick more’ Nicole said as she kissed the top of Waverly’s head.

‘Call in sick... stay here all day and ravish me how I deserve to be ravished’ Waverly started matter of factly. Nicole laughed and flipped their positions so she was pinning Waverly down on the mattress

‘As much as I’d love to, I have a feeling no amount of sickness is going to get me off today’s shift...’ Nicole replied. She kissed Waverly once more before hopping off the bed and making her way to the bathroom

‘Fine’ Waverly retorted ‘I’ll just have to lie here and think about you instead’ she called out to the retreating redhead

‘Don’t you fucking dare’ Nicole said as she reappeared in the doorframe, looking her girlfriend in the eye

‘Oh okay, well if you say THAT Nic, there’s absolutely no WAY I would think of disobeying you...’ Waverly replied with a smile. Nicole slinked back in to the bedroom and hopped back onto the bed

‘I’m giving you twenty minutes, then I’m up-and if I find out you’ve done nothing but lie in my bed all day and wank, Imma be mad’ the older woman said as she pinned Waverly to the bed once more and started to move her hand down the brunettes torso.

Forty minutes later and after a shower, a slice of toast, some coffee and another orgasm, Nicole walked into the station bang on time and with a spring in her step. Mortimer looked up from his desk and breathed a sigh of relief

‘Thank god one of you has made it in, I’m dead on my feet here’ the Cranbrook Officer said

‘Don’t tell me Lonnie hasn’t appeared…’ Nicole said aghast. She knew he was drunk last night, but to not come in the next day was shameful

‘Flu apparently…’ Johnny replied. Nicole rolled her eyes

‘I’m sorry Johnny, I’ll make sure I have a word with him…’ the redhead said

‘That’s MY job Haught and don’t you forget it’ Nedley barked from behind his desk. Nicole swung round to look into his office

‘Sir… what the… Well I mean why are…’ Nicole started, before realising she was never going to find the words so she settled on a curt nod and a ‘welcome back sir’

Nedley muttered something gruffly and returned to the paperwork piled high on his desk. Nicole slid up next to Johnny and whispered ‘Should he be here?’ Johnny shook his head and whispered back

‘I have no idea, but I’m not going to be the one to question it…’ Nicole nodded her head in agreement and then headed to the break room to grab a bottle of water and a banana from the fridge. She made her way back to her desk and settled down for a morning of reading the overnight reports and typing up her day with Steve Guppy yesterday. Aside from saying goodbye to Mortimer and thanking him once more for the support, her morning stretched out as a typical Tuesday in a quiet Sheriff’s department-and Nicole could not have been more grateful for that.

Waverly lay in Nicole’s bed for another hour after the redhead had gone to work, just basking in their morning together. Eventually, she pulled herself up from the mattress and padded into the bathroom for a shower. She wandered downstairs once clean and pulled the manuscript out from her bag. Dressed in another one of Nicole’s hoodies and some oversized sweats that she had unofficially adopted as her own, she brewed herself some peppermint tea and settled down for a morning of reading.

CJ appeared and hopped up onto the sofa to join Waverly, clawing about on her knee’s until eventually finding a spot she found suitable and settled down to nap on the brunettes lap. Waverly instantly found herself stroking the top of Calamity’s head and smiled when she heard the ginger cat purr contentedly at her touch. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and snapped a selfie of her and the tiny tiger and sent it to both Nicole and Wynonna-knowing full well the jealousy it would evoke from both women. It didn’t take long for Wynonna to respond and when she did, she simply wrote ‘on my way’. Waverly sent a message back saying the door was open and to let herself in before sending another one to her girlfriend letting her know she was planning to spend the day at her cosy little house and that she was soon to be joined by her sister. Waverly was pretty sure Nicole wouldn’t mind, but she felt like she wanted to let her know regardless, just in case.

Wynonna arrived twenty minutes later with a box of donuts and some sort of mouse toy for CJ. She tried to hide the little toy from Waverly, so as to not show her soft side, but Waverly clocked it and decided not to say anything. This softer side of her older sister was a side she enjoyed seeing and she didn’t want to draw attention to it lest Wynonna realise and reign herself in.

Wynonna helped herself to Nicole’s coffee stash and settled down with the remote control and bag of chips she had found in the cupboard. The sisters chatted every so often, but mostly they sat in amiable silence-Waverly reading and Wynonna watching a couple of episodes of ‘Stranger Things’.

Nicole appeared at lunchtime mainly just to tell the sisters they were welcome and to inform Waverly that Nedley had appeared at the station this morning and she wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Wynonna was keen for Nicole to assert her authority and send him home, whereas Waverly opted for the simpler route of phoning Chrissy and finding out what was going on.

Nicole managed to grab some soup, top up her caffeine intake, kiss her girlfriend, argue with Wynonna and confirm with Chrissy Nedley that the sheriff was, in fact, cleared to work, as long as he kept it to paperwork and was home by mid-afternoon. Nicole chalked it up to a successful lunchtime and as she kissed Waverly goodbye, she agreed to meet Wynonna in Shorty’s for a game of pool tonight whilst Waverly worked the late shift.

Waverly had read almost a third of the manuscript by the time her shift came round. She was excited to delve deeper into the history of the Ghost River Triangle and as she wiped down the bar and cleared the tables of dirty glasses, she continued to formulate a plan in her head as to how her and Matthew could get the very best out of the history of the area and the legends surrounding her family.

Nicole and Wynonna appeared in Shorty’s at about 8PM, Nicole having convinced Mike to start his shift a couple of hours early to cover Lonnie’s absence. After ordering their beers and saying a quick hello to the youngest Earp, they made their way over to the pool tables in the far corner of the bar.

Three beers in and two games down, Wynonna disappeared to the loo, leaving Nicole to set up for a third game. As she bent down to rack up the balls, she felt an unfamiliar hand upon her shoulder. Nicole stood and turned to face a slightly intoxicated Stephanie Jones, who, it turns out, was a rather handsy drunk.

‘Well hello Officer… you are looking mighty fine this evening’ the blonde purred encroaching on Nicole’s personal space. Nicole took a step back, but was restricted by the pool table

‘Ms Jones, how are you doing tonight?’ The redhead asked, not wanting to be rude, but wanting to make sure there could be nothing misconstrued by her question. Stephanie’s hands started to wander back down Nicole’s arms, slowly making their way towards her hands.

‘Stephanie, I think perhaps you’ve had a bit too much to drink, how about we call for someone to come and pick you up?’ Nicole said, not unkindly. Stephanie laughed louder than necessary and pushed Nicole at her shoulder

‘My my Officer… Aren’t we chivalrous… I’ll bet you can treat a girl right’ the inebriated woman said. Nicole took a deep breath and was about to make her way to the bar to get the woman some water when a tiny hand grabbed Stephanie by the wrist and yanked her away from the startled redhead

‘The fuck?’ Stephanie started before realising who was responsible for the interruption. Waverly was unrelenting on her task of removing her nemesis and ejecting her from the bar. Nicole noted that for a tiny woman, Waverly had almost hulk like strength on occasion. She also noted that whatever the history was between her fiery girlfriend and Stephanie Jones ran a lot deeper than just a little bit of jealousy on Waverly’s behalf, and Nicole stored a question or two in her brain to ask Wynonna about it later. By the time Wynonna returned Waverly had thrown the blonde woman out and had sent a glare over to her girlfriend.

‘What the hell happened?’ The raven haired woman asked as she re-joined Nicole at the pool table

‘I honestly have no idea’ Nicole replied whilst watching Waverly stomp back over to the bar and continue to furiously wipe down some glasses. Nicole contemplated going over to her girlfriend and asking her outright what she had just witnessed, but thought better of it once she saw Waverly shoot down stupid Carl for accidently dropping a nut on her newly polished bar

‘Hey Wy... what’s with Waves and Stephanie Jones?’ Nicole asked, looking over at Waverly grumbling about behind the bar

‘Looooong story and complicated... why?’

‘Well Stephanie was just talking to me, and was sort of coming on to me, but she was drunk so I was just gonna get her some water and get her home but before I could really deal with it, Waverly kicked her out and now she’s... well she’s very stompy’

Wynonna listened to Nicole and then looked over at her little sister, watching her storm off to the kitchen, muttering something under her breath. She smiled sadly and turned back to her friend

‘They used to be friends. Her, Steph and Chrissy were thick as thieves, and then Waves and Champ got together and it all changed. I’m not really sure of the specifics as I wasn’t here, but from what I gather, Steph was jealous of her and Champ and made sure that whenever Champ was drunk and in need of a... release... she would provide it... like all the time... Steph gave no shits that he was with Waves and it’s almost like she made it her mission to sleep with him and then rub it in Waverly’s face... Waves was humiliated time and again by him and that woman, and I imagine her behaviour tonight has a lot to do with that-she’s mad at Steph, not you...’ Wynonna said simply. Nicole nodded her head, showing her understanding.

‘Excuse me a minute’ Nicole said as she placed her beer on the table. She walked across the bar and went through to the kitchen. Waverly was standing at the sink furiously drying some cutlery and muttering incoherently to herself. Nicole cleared her throat to get her girlfriends attention. Waverly didn’t even turn around to see who it was, she just barked the words ‘kitchens closed’ grumpily and continued her assault on the cutlery.

‘I don’t want anything from the kitchen’ Nicole said simply. Waverly stopped what she was doing and turned to face the taller woman.

‘Well what do you want?’ Waverly snapped. She then looked down at her feet and muttered something Nicole couldn’t decipher

‘Are you speaking Latin to me?’

‘No... well alright, maybe...’ Waverly huffed

‘So this is what jealous Waverly looks like?’ Nicole said with a smile. Waverly shot a look towards the Officer 

‘I’m not jealous’ she scoffed, but it was no use. She was jealous and she couldn’t hide it. And what’s more, she was taking it out on Nicole instead of acting all cool and nonchalant as she would have liked.

Nicole laughed and reached into her back pocket to retrieve her phone. She opened it up and searched through it for a moment before finding the song she was looking for. She reached for a pint glass and dropped her phone into it as she pressed play. Raphael Saadiq ‘Let’s take a walk’ started to play and Nicole slunk over to Waverly and twirled her under her arm

‘What are you doing?’ Waverly questioned, a smile starting to form on her lips

‘We’re dancing it out baby...’ Nicole replied taking Waverly’s hand. As the northern soul beat blared out from the glass, Nicole danced them effortlessly around the kitchen, singing loudly as she did so. Waverly laughed heartily as she was led about and by the end of the short song, both women were smiling at each other, Waverly’s hand having moved to play with the hair at the back of Nicole’s neck and Nicole pulling Waverly impossibly close. Nicole kissed the tip of Waverly’s nose

‘I’m all in baby, I don’t see anyone but you’ she said honestly as their dance came to an end

‘I’m sorry... she just... she gets to me...’ Waverly admitted as she looked down at the floor. Nicole used her finger to pull Waverly’s chin up so the brunette was looking at the taller woman

‘I’m sorry it got to a point where you felt you needed to step in-but trust me... I’m not him’

‘I know...’ Waverly nodded ‘I’m sorry’ she said again, but this time looking Nicole directly in the eye. Nicole leant down and kissed the smaller woman in her arms. It was gentle and slow and Waverly would have lost her capacity to stand had Nicole not been holding her. The women eventually pulled away from each other and the taller one laced their fingers together as she led Waverly out of the kitchen and back out into Shorty’s. Wynonna was standing behind the bar serving stupid Carl and Gus was sitting at the edge watching her eldest niece with a quizzical look on her face.

‘Sorry Gus...’ Waverly said sheepishly as she squeezed Nicole’s hand and then let go so she could resume her work. Gus shook her head at the younger woman and smiled-directing her gaze back towards Wynonna, who was laughing loudly with stupid Carl as she handed him another beer

‘Don’t worry about it sweetheart-luckily for you Wynonna was here to step in...’

‘God... I never thought I’d hear you say that’ Waverly said with a smile

‘Neither did I Darlin’, believe me, neither did I...’ the older woman said with a smile. 

Nicole and Wynonna returned to the pool table and their drinks, and Waverly continued her shift without incident. As last orders were called and the lights of the bar were flicked on, Waverly looked over at her sister and her girlfriend who were playing a round of cards and nursing their final beers. She felt so incredibly happy with her life at that moment she was lost in her own daydream as she emptied the trash and took the bag out to the alley to throw it into the can outside. As she struggled to lift the lid of the can high enough to throw the bag inside she didn't hear the footsteps approach her, nor did she feel the presence of someone behind her as she finally managed to close the lid back down and wipe her hands down the back of her jeans

'Waverly...' the man's voice said behind her. Waverly's entire breath left her as she spun round quickly and was face to face with Champ Hardy. She started to walk back towards the door when Champ lifted his hands in a sign of peace

'Please Waverly, I just wanna talk...' He said his hands still held up palms facing her. Waverly stopped before the door and looked him in the eye

'What do you want Champ?' She asked. She wasn't scared, more annoyed that she was still having to deal with him.

'I just... they're... they're pressing charges Waves...' he started, a pleading look in his eye. She sighed heavily and took a small step towards him

'Champ, you know you can't be here...'

'I know, I know and I'm sorry... I just thought if we talked... you know we might.... I mean you might...' He stopped abruptly and paled as Waverly heard the cocking of a gun behind her.

'Waverly... go back inside please' her sister said, never taking her eyes or her gun off Champ. Waverly looked between the two of them, unsure of what to do. She didn't think Wynonna would actually shoot him, but she also didn't want to hear his excuses.

'Nonna...'

'Now Waverly... Please' Wynonna commanded. Waverly knew she wouldn't be able to stop this-she needed someone else to talk her sister down. She needed Nicole. The younger woman sighed and turned back to the door

'Waverly wait please... you can't leave me here with her' Champ shouted as she disappeared through the door and headed straight for her girlfriend.

'Cole... Champ is outside in the alley'. Nicole stood abruptly and went straight over to the brunette

'Did he hurt you?' She asked immediately

'No, no nothing like that... Nonna is out there pointing her gun at him'

'Is it loaded?'

'I honestly have no idea' Waverly replied.

'Okay, lock the front door and then go up to Gus... leave this with me okay' the redhead said, switching straight into police mode. Nicole kissed her on the lips quickly and looked her in the eye

'I'll sort this out okay...' Waverly nodded before turning and watching her girlfriend head out to the alley. 

Nicole opened the door slightly at first just to get a sense of what was happening outside. She could hear muffled gasps, and realised pretty quickly it was the sniffs of Champ Hardy she was listening to. She creaked open the door and stepped out into the cool night air

'Go back inside Nicole, this doesn't concern you' Wynonna said, never taking her eyes from the man currently on his knees in front of her

'Wynonna, come on... you know I can't do that' the redhead said. She looked at Champ and watched as he furiously wiped silent tears from his cheeks

'Champ... you ever heard of Russian roulette?' Wynonna asked, ignoring the fact Nicole was standing just behind her 'It's a simple game, and we're going to play my version of it. What we're going to do is this. I'm going to take all but one bullet out of this here chamber, and then I'm going to shoot my gun five times. And you are going to hope and pray that I don't land on a bullet'. As Wynonna explained the rules, she took the bullets out of the chamber of her ancient gun and spun the barrel round before clicking it back into place and cocking it

'Wynonna, come on... he's not worth this' Nicole said, but before she had a chance to say anything more, Wynonna pulled the trigger. The sound of an empty chamber resonated around them as Champ started sobbing

'One...' Wynonna said, her voice void of emotion

'Wynonna enough' Nicole said as Champ pleaded for her to stop. The brunette ignored both, cocking the gun once more and pulling the trigger. Again, the sound of an empty chamber reverberated around them

'Two...' Wynonna then took shots in quick succession. Acting surprised that the gun hadn't shot Champ in the head yet. Champ fell to the floor weeping and begging at Wynonna's feet. She stood tall over him, not a hint of emotion on her face

'You hit her Champ. You bullied her, you cheated on her, you physically assaulted her.... you BROKE her Champ... You took my baby sister, and you BROKE her...' Emotion finally showing through the cracks as she talked about Waverly. Nicole watched in almost slow motion as Wynonna leant down and pushed the gun to Champs head and pulled the trigger one more time. The lack of gunshot was covered by the screams of Champ Hardy who was a crumpled heap on the floor at Wynonna's feet. The brunette stood back up and took in all that was in front of her

'Get up. Walk away. And be grateful. And if I ever see you near her again, I will fire six times.' She said, her voice calm in the quiet around them. Champ picked himself up quickly and didn't look back as he ran down the alley, covering the front of his trousers, trying to hide the stain that had appeared during the entire interaction.

Wynonna stood tall, watching him disappear before her resolve cracked. She let out a huge sob as she felt two arms swing her round and pull her forward. Her legs gave way and Nicole held her as she sobbed into the redheads shoulder. Great, heaving sobs that she could not take control of. Nicole had realised before Wynonna had taken the first pull that she never had any intention of hurting Champ Hardy and had, in fact, discarded all six bullets on the floor in front of her. But the damage that interaction had just had on Wynonna was evident. She too had been broken by Champ Hardy, and as Nicole held her tighter and whispered soothing words into the top of her best friends head, she understood the love Wynonna had for her little sister clearer than ever before. And she also realised that the only reason she was not faced with a dead body this evening was because Wynonna Earp had more strength in her than anyone else Nicole had ever met.


	16. Chapter sixteen

Waverly finished cleaning the bar as she awaited her sister and girlfriend to return. Gus had come down to keep her company, and the eldest woman had pulled four glasses down from the shelf and opened a new bottle of whisky. She poured two shots out for her and Waverly and watched her youngest niece pull a stool up next to her and accept the glass gratefully.

'Thing about your sister is... the only thing she ever gave a damn about was you... She's affected by this whole sorry mess more than she'll ever say... Just remember that sweetheart...' Waverly nodded at her aunt as she swilled her drink around the glass. They both heard the back door open and Waverly jumped up from where she was sitting and turned to face the two women re-entering the bar. Wynonna looked different. She had clearly been crying, and the way Nicole quietly spoke to her as she led her into the bar and sat her down in front of her aunt was not lost on the smaller brunette. Gus watched the interaction keenly, and as she poured two more shots and handed one over to Wynonna, she squeezed her eldest nieces shoulder. She then turned to Nicole with the other glass and pointedly looked at the redhead. It seemed to Waverly that the two women were having a silent conversation with each other, but for the life of her, Waverly couldn't figure out what was being said. The four women sat in silence, until they had all finished their drinks. Nicole stood first, and gently placed her hand on Wynonna's shoulder and got her to stand.

'Come on you two, lets head to my place…' She said as she put her coat on. Waverly frowned, still unsure as to what was going on with her older sister, but helped Nicole lead Wynonna out onto the street and back to the little house on the outskirts of town. As soon as they got into Nicole's house, the Officer disappeared to sort out the spare room. Waverly offered to help, but Nicole shook her head and held Waverly's gaze, before suggesting she stay and keep Wynonna company. Wynonna hadn't said anything since she had re-appeared with the redhead. As if on cue, Calamity Jane appeared and hopped up onto Wynonna's knee. Wynonna was startled by the cat, but instantly started stroking her little friend and smiled down at her as she settled herself down on the brunette's lap.

Nicole appeared again ten minutes later wearing a pair of sweats and carrying a towel for Wynonna. She informed her friend that she had ran her a bath, and that there were spare sweats in the second bedroom that Wynonna can use for the evening. Wynonna only nodded as she uncharacteristically leant down and kissed the top of CJ's head before plopping the feline down on the floor and disappearing into the bathroom.

Waverly listened for the bathroom door to close before turning to her girlfriend looking for an explanation. Nicole sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing that Waverly needed to understand what had happened outside, but not wanting to break the trust she had built with her friend. The redhead took a deep breath and then began to explain what had happened in the alleyway. Waverly listened without interruption, and once Nicole had finished, she got up silently and took the Officers face in her hands and kissed her.

'Thank you' Waverly said simply, before disappearing off to the bathroom to talk to Wynonna.

Nicole took out her phone and dialled Dolls' number. She didn't say much, just told him her address and asked him to come and join them. Nicole knew she was risking Wynonna's wrath, but decided that if she was in that position, she would want to be held by someone close to her. Within ten minutes, Dolls was on her doorstep, and as she let him in and led him to her spare room, she simply told him Wynonna needed him, and to ask Wynonna if he wanted to know more. As Dolls sat down on the bed, the bathroom door opened and Nicole saw Wynonna clock Dolls and then turn to her, a look of relief palpable on her face. Nicole knew then she had made the right decision, and that whilst Wynonna would never admit it, seeing Dolls at that moment, was exactly what the brunette needed.

They said their goodnight's and closed their respective doors, Nicole disappearing into her en-suite to take out her contacts and to finish getting ready for bed. Her and Waverly swapped positions- Nicole crawling into bed and Waverly going to clean her teeth and get ready herself. They moved around each other easily, starting to become familiar with the others nightly routine. Waverly reappeared, turning the light in the bathroom off and padding over to what had become her side of the bed. Neither women spoke as the bedside lights were turned off and the bedroom was shrouded in darkness.

'Will she be okay?' Waverly asked in the darkness. Nicole shifted their positions so she was curled up around Waverly, spooning her tightly. The redhead kissed the back of Waverly's neck and nodded

'She'll be fine tomorrow. She just scared herself... For someone who appears to be so out of control, she's one of the most controlled people I know...' Nicole said into her girlfriends neck. Waverly moved her hand to cradle Nicole's on her stomach and squeezed it gently

'Thank you...' the brunette said quietly. Nicole kissed her again and smiled into the darkness

'You don't ever have to thank me for supporting her... I love her...' Nicole stated simply

'I know you do baby' Waverly replied. She loved how close these two were, and was again relieved that Wynonna had someone as loyal as Nicole on her side. Waverly sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. Nicole pulled her even closer as she let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Her breathing evening out as she drifted off to sleep, wrapped around her girlfriend.

The next morning started very differently to the previous morning. Nicole's alarm went off at the same time, but this time Nicole switched it off quickly and peppered Waverly's neck with kisses before she got out of bed and headed straight for the shower. She dressed quickly and was downstairs brewing coffee and reading the paper before anyone else stirred. Dolls awkwardly appeared at the bottom of the stairs next, looking uncomfortable.

'Morning Dolls... you want some coffee?' Nicole asked, an amused look on her face.

He nodded his thanks and accepted the coffee gratefully from her. Waverly then appeared, stomping downstairs in one of Nicole's large t shirts and an enormous pair of boxer shorts. She grunted a greeting to Dolls before taking the coffee out of Nicole's hand and taking a swig. Nicole looked down at the grumpy brunette and shook her head before taking down another mug and pouring herself another cup. The redhead then finished reading the paper and returned to the bathroom to put in her contact lenses. She made her way back to the kitchen and found Wynonna sitting on her sofa with Calamity Jane back on her knee

'Oh my god... why don't you two just get married and have done with it...' Nicole grumbled as she walked passed her friend

'I would marry this cat in an instant' Wynonna retorted as she continued to stroke the feline now settled happily on her lap. Nicole smiled at her friend and kissed her on the head.

'Welcome back dickhead' the redhead said before continuing on to the kitchen to say goodbye to Dolls and her girlfriend. Waverly was stood leaning against a kitchen counter eating the piece of toast Nicole had put in for herself

'Is that my toast?' The redhead asked. Waverly looked at it and took another bite

'Yeah it is...' She said a look of cheeky defiance on her face. Dolls laughed and got up to join Wynonna on the sofa, leaving the lovers to fight it out alone

'Unbelievable' She said with a smile on her face. She reached into the fruit bowl and snapped off a banana instead 'First my coffee, now my toast...'

'My sense of entitlement is one of the things you love most about me' Waverly retorted, without realising what she had said before it was too late. Nicole smiled as she sauntered towards her girlfriend, who was blushing furiously and turning the colour of Nicole's hair. The taller woman placed her hands either side of Waverly on the kitchen counter, leant down and whispered into the smaller woman's ear

'Is that so…' she then removed the half eaten piece of toast from Waverly's hands, kissed her quickly on the lips and disappeared off to work, leaving Waverly both mortified and delighted.

The redhead arrived at work earlier than her shift start and headed straight for Nedley's office. She found the Sheriff sitting behind his desk, his leg in a splint and resting on a stool.

'Haught... you wanna explain to me what happened last night with that damn Earp girl?' Nedley said before Nicole had fully entered the office. Nicole was constantly surprised by how much her boss knew about the ins and outs of the town. She sighed and looked at her boss

'May I sit Sir?' she asked, wanting this to go down an informal route rather than an official reprimand for her actions. The Sheriff looked at her a moment before gruffly nodding his head. Nicole breathed out, closed the door and took a seat

'Nothing happened' Nicole started. Nedley raised an eyebrow before Nicole continued 'Champ Hardy approached Waverly Earp. Wynonna found them in the alleyway behind Shorty's. She warned him off and he left-no one got hurt'

'What about the part that she pulled a gun out on him and held it to his head?' Nedley said.

'An unloaded gun Sir' Nicole replied quickly. Nedley held her gaze

'But Hardy didn't know that? And he ran home crying to his dad, who phoned me and woke me up and demanded I do something... And then imagine my surprise when I hear one of my deputy's was standing there the whole time watching this happen... See where this is going Haught?' Nedley asked, not unkindly. Nicole sighed once more

'With respect Sir...'

'Usually what you have to pre-requisite a sentence with the term with respect, usually means you're about to be disrespectful'

'No Sir... But with respect, Wynonna dropped six bullets out of her gun in front of Champ Hardy-it's not her fault that he didn't count them'

'He had a gun to his head'

'An unloaded gun' Nicole said, holding her bosses gaze. Nedley stared back at the redhead and then gave a slight nod.

'What I need you to do Haught is go to Gus McCready and retrieve the CCTV footage from the alleyway. I then need you to bring it back here for me to see...' Nedley said slowly. Nicole nodded her agreement

'Dismissed Haught' Nedley barked and Nicole got up quickly and headed for Shorty's, unsure if Nedley was going to let Wynonna off, or haul her in to his office and charge her with threatening behaviour. 

Shorty's wasn't open yet, so Nicole had to bang on the back door to get Gus's attention. The older woman shouted something incoherent before the door swung open to reveal the grey haired lady standing in front of her, a dressing gown covering her night clothes.

'Morning Gus, sorry to wake you'

'You didn't wake me darlin'... this about last night?' she asked. Nicole nodded and Gus sighed as she opened the door wider 's'pose you better come in then...'

Nicole followed her in and through to the office at the back of the bar. Gus sat at her desk and motioned for Nicole to sit in the chair opposite her. Nicole complied and waited for the older woman to speak. They sat in silence a moment, holding each other's gaze.

'Nedley send you?'

'Yes Ma'am'

'He want to see what happened in that alleyway?'

'Yes Ma'am'. Gus nodded and took the tape out of the recorder

'I watched it twice last night... It's all there...' Gus said as she passed Nicole a VHS. Nicole took it from the woman and smiled-grateful she wasn't making this any more difficult than it already was

'How is she?' Gus asked as Nicole started to get up. Nicole sighed and sat back down

'You saw the tape... How do you think?'

'I think darlin' that my eldest niece is not someone I recognise any more... There was a time I think she would have just blown that damn boys head off... but... I don't know... she's changed...' The older woman said, looking Nicole in the eye. Nicole nodded her understanding. She didn't know much about Wynonna before she had returned from her travels, but she did know that she saw Wynonna for who she was now, and that she was one of the best women she knew.

'I think she is outstanding' Nicole said simply. Gus raised her brows in surprise but smiled at the redhead

'And what of my other niece... how do you feel about her?' Gus asked, figuring if they were going to do this, they may as well get it over with

Nicole paused as she looked Gus in the eye and smiled and then said ‘I think words are superfluous when it comes to Waverly Earp’. Gus nodded her understanding. She then got up and walked to the door of her office

'I think for the first time in their lives, they might finally have found someone to rely on-you break their hearts, and I'll kill you myself. Understood?' Gus said from the doorway

'Yes Ma'am' Nicole replied simply. She then watched as Gus disappeared from the office, leaving Nicole to find her own way out.

After feeding Calamity Jane, putting on a load of washing for her girlfriend and stripping both the spare bed and Nicole's, Waverly and Wynonna made their way back to the homestead. Dolls had disappeared soon after Nicole had left for work, claiming he had some work to do in the city, but Waverly was pretty sure he wanted to leave them alone today. Wynonna had been in a better place today, but was still making sure she was close to Waverly whenever possible. They pulled up to their house in the middle of nowhere and sat in Waverly's jeep, surveying their home. Waverly had planned to finish reading the manuscript outline today, but thought there was something more useful her and her sister could do together instead.

'Nonna... shall we go and buy a kitchen?' Waverly asked suddenly out of the blue. Wynonna looked at her sister for a moment before nodding her agreement

'I think I'd really like to do that Waves...' the older woman said. Waverly smiled at her sister, noticing that whilst some of the light had returned to her piercing blue eyes, there was still an air of sadness around her.

‘We’ll go get Gus and take her and her truck-family outing’ Waverly said more to herself than her sister. Wynonna nodded her agreement and smiled at her little sister as she held her gaze

‘I’d do anything for you baby girl… you know that right?’ the raven haired woman suddenly stated. Waverly took her sisters hand in hers and kissed her knuckles

‘I know Nonna… but I’m absolutely delighted you didn’t shoot him-he’s not worth it…’

‘Yeah… I know…’ Wynonna replied as she squeezed her sisters hand. Waverly then turned the key in her ignition and headed back towards town so they could get their aunt and drive to the outskirts of the city, where an enormous Ikea was sitting and waiting for them to spend their money on getting their house in order

Gus had, at first, protested, but then Waverly had looked at her with her big doe eyes and pleaded that Gus join them. The grey haired woman had scowled then at her youngest niece and reluctantly agreed to accompany them and offer her advice on their home improvements. Wynonna had barely said a word, so when Waverly stopped at a garage to fill the truck up with gas, the elder woman had taken the opportunity to talk to Wynonna properly for the first time in years.

‘How you doing kiddo?’ Gus asked quietly. Wynonna turned to her aunt and smiled sadly

‘Oh you know… feeling like a failure and pretty fucking useless as usual.. no change really…’ Wynonna replied in a moment of rare vulnerability. Gus nodded her agreement and looked out of the window, watching Waverly walk across the forecourt towards the shop

‘Me too darlin’’ Gus replied ‘We all feel like we failed her… but you, lately, you have been doing anything but…’ Wynonna turned to her aunt and threw a quizzical glance at her. ‘Since you got back here, I don’t know… something’s different… You’re different… You are a woman I would like to get to know… if you’d let me?’ Gus said, looking Wynonna in the eye

‘I think I’d like that Gus’ Wynonna replied with a smile ‘I know I fucked up, but I’m not going anywhere-I’d like you to be okay with that’

‘Oh darlin’, I am more than okay with it… reckon I’m damn proud of you right now girl…’ The older woman said as she looked towards Waverly, who was making her way back towards them ‘now enough of this sort of talk-Waverly would love it if she thought we were actually gettin’ along…’

Wynonna laughed lightly

‘Deal’ she said as she threw her aunt a wink and then looked out of the window.

‘Okay’ Waverly chimed as she clambered behind the wheel of Gus’s truck ‘Lets go upgrade our house’. She turned to the two women sitting silently not looking at each other

‘What’s going on?’

‘Nothing’

‘Not a damn thing’ the two women answered in unison. Waverly frowned at them and then shook her head slightly

‘you’re both being weird’ she muttered as she turned the key and steered them on their way to the city

‘Haught, get in here’ Nedley shouted midway through the afternoon. Nicole swallowed the mouthful of coffee she had just taken and made her way quickly to her bosses office.

‘Sir?’ she asked from the doorway

‘You and I are taking a trip’ he grumbled

‘But Sir… it’s almost three o’clock…’

‘And?’ He barked back at her

‘And… and, well Chrissy will be here to collect you soon’

‘Well she can wait’ he retorted sharply. Nicole puffed out her cheeks and looked at her feet

‘Gotta problem Haught?’

‘No Sir… it’s just… can you be the one to tell her that-I like your daughter Sir, I’d rather she didn’t shout at me…’ Nedley just muttered something under his breath and struggled to get to his feet. Nicole moved over to the wheelchair sitting in the corner of his office

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing with that?’ The sheriff barked. The deputy looked startled before sighing and looking her boss in the eye

‘Just moving it out of the way Sir’

‘As I thought’ the man grumbled. Nicole then watched as Nedley hobbled out of the station and towards her cruiser at an agonisingly slow pace. She caught Lonnie’s eye as she headed towards the door behind the grumpy old man. Lonnie raised his coffee cup at her as she raised her middle finger to him in reply. They then smiled at each other as Nedley’s voice boomed once more for Nicole to follow him. She scrambled to her car and opened the passenger door for Nedley to climb inside and settle down. Nicole watched as he winced, offering to help, but her generosity was brutally rebuffed. Once he was as comfortable as he was going to be, Nicole walked round to the driver’s side and slipped behind the wheel.

‘Where to Sir?’ She asked, as breezily as she could muster

‘Earp ranch’ Nedley said quickly. Nicole was going to question it, but took one look at the man next to her and thought better of it. She pulled out onto the high street and headed for the Homestead, an awkward silence settling between the two law enforcers.

The drive would usually take twenty minutes from the centre of town to the Homestead, but with Nedley wincing every time they hit a bump in the road, Nicole slowed right down and it took them closer to forty. Chrissy had phoned just after 3PM demanding to know where her father was. Mercilessly, Nicole didn’t have to talk to her directly, and had to hide a smile whilst she listened to her boss being lambasted by his daughter over the phone.

As the Homestead came into view, Nicole couldn’t hide her curiosity any more

‘Sir… what are we doing here?’ She asked. Nedley continued to look out of the window, surveying the land

‘Official police business Haught’

‘Okay… but Sir, I don’t know whether you are aware, but I am in a relationship with Waverly Earp’

‘Well, that’s your own private business Haught’ Nedley replied after a beat. Nicole assumed that the ‘business’ that has brought them out here will therefore not put her in a compromising position, so decided to just park that conversation there.

As they pulled up, Nicole noticed Gus’s truck, half full with what looked like flat pack furniture. Wynonna and Waverly appeared on the porch at the sound of a car approaching their home. Waverly beamed at the two Officers, whereas Wynonna stood stock still, assuming the worst. Gus appeared behind Wynonna and Nicole noticed the older woman place a hand on her eldest nieces shoulder. Nicole got out of the car and smiled at her girlfriend briefly before heading round to the passenger side and helping her boss struggle out of the car.

‘Hey Randy! How are you feeling?’ Waverly asked, seemingly oblivious that this wasn’t a social call. Nedley smiled at his daughters best friend. He had always had a soft spot for this tiny woman in front of him, and he was delighted to hear she was moving on from Champ Hardy.

‘Oh fine thank you Waverly, just a bit sore now and then… I’m here to talk to Wynonna…’ Waverly looked at the sheriff and then at her girlfriend, who had been incredibly quiet so far.

‘Oh really? Why?’

‘Come on now Waverly, you know that’s between me and her…’ Nedley said, not quite meeting her eyes.

‘Well as you can see, we’re a little busy right now, you two can come back later’ Waverly said simply, before walking past the sheriff and heading to the truck to unload another box

‘Waverly, please don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be’ Nedley said as he watched the smaller woman walk away from him

‘No. You don’t come onto OUR land, and start demanding to see her without a reason, I’m asking for one-which is not an unreasonable request and YOU are refusing to co-operate. Now we are busy here, so the way I see it is you have two options. You either wait until we have finished or you fuck off and come back with an arrest warrant… which one do you want to do Randy…’

‘Waverly…’ Wynonna started to say, but her little sister swung round and faced her sister square on

‘NO Wynonna. They are on OUR land, and as yet they have NO BUSINESS being here, so they can wait, or come back later, but they don’t get to just come here and disrupt our family day’ Waverly said harshly. Wynonna sighed and put her hands on Waverly’s shoulders to steady her.

‘Baby girl… I did a bad thing last night, Nedley needs to speak to me about it-that’s not on him, that’s on me… so how about Nicole gives us a hand unloading and then Nedley and I can sit and talk okay?’ Wynonna said calmly.

Nedley was dumb struck with the sensibility radiating from the eldest Earp. This was not the Wynonna he knew, and it made him foolishly proud to see her stepping up and taking responsibility.

‘You heard her Haught… move’ Nedley barked once again.

Nicole scurried over to the truck and lifted a box onto her shoulders. She followed Waverly into the kitchen and saw a pile of boxes all of similar sizes. She placed it down and then reached for Waverly’s wrist before the furious woman walked back outside

‘Hey… I’m sorry… I didn’t even know we were coming here until we were already in the cruiser…’ Waverly spun round to challenge her girlfriend and then caught sight of her puppy dog eyes looking pleadingly back at her

‘Damn it your eyes are enchanting’ Waverly replied. Nicole frowned and then smiled

‘Sorry about that too…’ Nicole said as she flashed her dimples

‘And you can put THOSE away immediately’ Waverly said through a smile. She then pulled Nicole in for a searing kiss. Nicole, at first, tried to resist, but then thought better of it. Eventually, Waverly pulled away and looked at Nicole

‘HAUGHT’ Nedley commanded from the open door ‘Not in uniform’ he said pointedly. Nicole was about to answer when Waverly shouted back

‘When you’re in MY house, you play by MY rules. Sit in the kitchen, we won’t be too much longer’.

Nedley grunted and Waverly marched past him, very lightly squeezing the man’s hand as she went. Nedley’s face broke out into a relieved grin as he watched Waverly walk back to the truck-but he then realised that Nicole was still there, so cleared his throat and ordered her to get back to work.

Half an hour later Nicole, Nedley and Wynonna were sitting in the Earp kitchen. Waverly, at first, insisted she was going to stay with her sister, but after much arguing from both Gus and Wynonna, she reluctantly agreed to go upstairs for a shower. Gus was sitting on the sofa, reading a book, making sure she was far enough away to give them privacy, but close enough to be there if Wynonna suddenly needed her.

‘So…’ Wynonna started, looking down at her hands ‘This about last night?’ she asked, still not looking up. Nedley paused before answering

‘Earp, look at me…’ Wynonna lifted her head and frowned at the sheriff sitting opposite her

‘We received a complaint last night regarding you and a gun in an alleyway…Now, as you know, Shorty’s has CCTV in said alleyway and I was handed the tape this morning to have a look. Unfortunately, the old video recorder we have at the station didn’t take too kindly to the tape and instead of playing it, it mangled the evidence and there is absolutely no way we can rescue it… As this is a clear case of he said she said, and as Champ Hardy is currently being charged with domestic abuse, we at the Sheriff’s department have decided to give you the benefit of the doubt and not follow up on this line of enquiry. However… I ever hear you’ve pulled a gun on someone again-unloaded or otherwise- I swear to god woman I will lock you up myself-are we clear?’

Wynonna smiled at the man in front of her with a look of real affection. Without saying a word, she stood up, walked over to the cabinet and pulled down two glasses. She then silently walked to the top of the fridge and collected a bottle of Whisky-pouring two generous measures and placing one of the glasses down in front of the Sheriff. They didn’t say anything to each other, just stared for a moment, before clinking their glasses and both taking a drink. Wynonna then stood up, and removed Nedley’s hat. She leant down and placed a soft kiss on the top of his head, before returning the hat to its rightful place. Gus had appeared in the kitchen doorway and smiled at the interaction being played out before them. Wynonna finished her drink, stood once more and walked to the phone. Dialling a number quickly, the room waited to see if someone on the other end would pick up and give a clue to everyone as to who the hell Wynonna Earp was calling. Wynonna cleared her throat and said

‘You’re dad’s here, and he’s outstayed his welcome’ before she hung up and turned to the stunned kitchen. Nicole looked mortified, Gus looked embarrassed and Nedley looked faintly amused.

‘Chrissy is on her way. You need to rest your leg old man…’

‘Wynonna!’ Gus chided as Nedley began to laugh loudly. Wynonna looked at Nedley once more and gave the slightest of nods before turning on her heel and disappearing into her room.

Gus turned back to Nedley and shook her head

‘Sorry about my girls Randy, I reckon they both need some sleep and less drink inside them…’

‘Oh now Gus don’t you worry about it…’

‘Randy, you are too kind…’ Gus replied, and Nicole was pretty sure everybody in this house had forgotten she was there

‘You and I both know I’ve always had a soft spot for the women in your family…’ Nedley replied

‘Oh good lord…’ Nicole said before simply getting up and leaving the room. She went up to Waverly’s room and knocked on the door

‘Yeah?’ Her girlfriend said from inside. Nicole opened the door and Waverly beamed at her wearing nothing but a towel

‘So I think I just saw your aunt and Nedley flirting…’ the redhead announced as she walked into the room and sat on Waverly’s bed

‘Oh god, not again…’ Waverly said with a smile. ‘Do you have to go back to town?’

‘Yeah, I have to finish a report and feed CJ’ Nicole replied as she lay back. She didn’t want to go back-she was tired and wanted to stay with her girlfriend and snuggle up, but she also thought that maybe Waverly and Wynonna needed to spend a couple of days together alone, and she didn’t want to get in the way of that

‘I have to work tonight, but can I creep in to your bed once my shift has finished? I don’t think I’ll want to drive home that late…’

Nicole sat up and smiled at the brunette, delighted that she had read the situation wrong

‘I would love it if you could creep in… what time do you finish?’

‘I should be done by midnight’ Waverly replied. She walked over to the dresser and started to moisturise her legs once again. Nicole stared for a moment at her girlfriend before shaking her mind clear and standing up

‘I can’t watch you do that again and not throw you against that wall and have my way with you, so I’m gonna go… I’ll see you later though…’ Nicole said with a smile

‘Can’t wait baby’ Waverly said as she dropped the towel around her and stalked towards Nicole naked as the day she was born. Nicole grinned at the advancing woman and wrapped her up in her arms. The kiss was heated, but without too much behind it so that they would lose their control. There were things that needed doing, and Nicole did have to go back to work, so eventually they said their goodbyes and Nicole headed back downstairs. Chrissy had pulled up and was busy shouting at her father, so Nicole slipped into Wynonna’s room to check her friend was okay

‘Explain the Ikea please?’ Nicole said. Wynonna had a file in her hand, but looked up at the redhead and smiled slightly

‘We bought a kitchen… you gonna help me rip the old one out on Saturday?’

‘Wouldn’t miss it… I’m working until 3PM, so will head straight over…’

‘Good’ Wynonna said simply. ‘Wanna beer?’

‘I gotta head back into town to finish work-but how about tonight? Waves is working until midnight, we could grab one there later? Say 10PM?’  
‘You buying?’

‘Aren’t I always?’ Nicole retorted. Wynonna narrowed her eyes

‘Hey… I bring comedy… you can’t buy this shit…’ Nicole laughed loudly as she left the room and went back into the kitchen to say goodbye to Gus.

She set off towards the town, unsure of how she was going to type up her report for what had transpired at the Homestead this afternoon and, more importantly, how on earth she was ever going to get the image of Nedley and Gus flirting out of her head

Matty James was a guy who had grown into his looks. He and Waverly had been lab partners together back in high school, and whilst they had remained on friendly terms, once Waverly had got together with Champ, they had grown apart. Matty James was a local plumber, and the physical work he did daily had shaped him into a very fit young man. On top of that, Matty James had dark curly hair, a close cut, perfectly shaped beard and piecing baby blue eyes. And as Nicole and Wynonna walked into Shorty’s later that evening, it was very clear for all to see, that Matty James had a crush on Waverly Earp.

‘Well THIS will be interesting…’ Wynonna said as they walked into the bar, the sound of Waverly Earp’s laughter filling up the bar.

‘Whose that?’ Nicole asked, as calmly and nonchalantly as possible

‘THAT, my friend, is Matty James…’ Wynonna replied smirking.

‘Why have I never heard that name?’ the redhead asked, not taking her eyes off the scene playing out in front of her. Wynonna chuckled beside her friend

‘What are you laughing at?’

‘I never had you down as insecure’ Wynonna said, finding this whole thing very amusing

‘I’m not…’ Nicole muttered ‘its just… I mean… Jesus Christ he’s handsome…’

‘Aint that the truth…’ Wynonna replied ‘And how funny that last night Waves was jealous of Stephanie Jones, and yet here we are…tonight… with her… and Matty James…’

‘Not helping..’ Nicole said as she finally tore her eyes away from the bar and fixated her gaze on the woman beside her ‘I have no reason to be concerned… I don’t think…’

Wynonna barked out a laugh and slapped her friend on the back

‘Come on douche bag, lets get drinks…’ She said as she pulled Nicole to the bar and sat down in front of her sister

‘Err… baby girl…’ Wynonna said, trying to tear her sister away from the enigmatic plumber. Waverly spun round and grinned at her sister

‘Nonna, Matty can come and help with the kitchen-isn’t that great? Oh hey baby, I didn’t know you were planning to come by…’ Waverly said as she leant across the bar and gave her girlfriend a quick kiss on the lips. Nicole lifted her hand and cupped Waverly’s cheek

‘Couldn’t resist… you okay?’ the redhead asked quietly-everything in her power stopping her from eyeballing Matty James in a mildly obnoxious way. Waverly leant into the touch and then reached up and squeezed Nicole’s hand, before walking away to serve Steve Guppy and stupid Carl.

‘Sooooooooo Matty James… how the hell are you? Looking good I gotta say…’

‘Well thank you Wynonna, always a pleasure to spend time with an Earp’

‘Oh good grief’ Nicole muttered behind the brunette. Wynonna turned slightly to include Nicole in the conversation

‘Matty, I don’t believe you’ve met Waverly’s…’

‘Girlfriend’ Waverly said to them as she returned with two beers for the ladies

‘Well no, no I haven’t, but I have heard an awful lot about you of course… pleasure to meet you Nicole’

Nicole smiled at this incredibly charming young man in front of her, whilst secretly thinking ‘well now I feel like a dickhead’.

‘You too Matty, great to hear you can help out at the Homestead…’ Nicole said with her signature dimples on display. Wynonna huffed out a breath

‘I’m bored… pool redwood?’

‘I swear to god Wynonna…’ Waverly said as she flicked the cloth she was using to wipe the bar down towards her sister. Matty laughed as he watched the banter between the sisters

‘Hey Waves, can I just borrow you for a minute?’ Nicole asked, giving her best puppy dog eyes. Waverly smiled at her girlfriend and held her gaze

‘Oh for the love of god, GO, I’ll man the fort’ Wynonna said-tired of watching the heart eyes.

Wynonna wasn’t stupid, she knew full well what Nicole was about to do to her little sister, but she also got why Nicole needed to take a moment. Waverly had always been openly bisexual, and no matter how much trust there was in a relationship, sometimes, when people like Matty James appeared looking all handsome and rugged and a bit like a fucking Adonis, even the most confident of people would have a split second of doubt. Nicole needed to kiss Waverly Earp immediately, to reaffirm everything she already knows.

‘Sure, thanks Nonna’ Waverly replied with a smile, seemingly oblivious to her girlfriends mild insecurities. Nicole smiled as she took Waverly’s hand and led her into the back.

‘Hey… what’s going on?’ Waverly asked as she was dragged into Gus’s office. Nicole didn’t say a word, just closed the door, pushed her girlfriend up against the wall and kissed her with every single fibre of her being. Waverly accepted her girlfriends advances immediately, and moaned as Nicole moved her thigh in between Waverly’s legs.

Waverly started to grind against Nicole and their kisses became more frantic as their breaths became laboured. Nicole pulled away slightly and smiled down at her girlfriend

‘Hey…’

‘Hey… you okay?’ Waverly asked, a smile on her face

‘Matty is very handsome… I feel insecure…’ Nicole said honestly. Waverly laughed gently

‘Oh baby… you are adorable…’ Waverly replied. She took her girlfriends face in her hands, and peppered her face with kisses

‘I am completely mad about you Nicole Haught…’ Waverly reassured

‘You promise?’ Nicole said, looking her girlfriend in the eye

‘I promise baby… now if I don’t go back to work now, I might stay here and show you how much, and I can’t do that to Gus…’ Waverly said as she chuckled

‘Well we can’t have that can we…’

‘No, no we can’t… You going to stay for the rest of the night?’

‘Yeah, thought I’d walk my girl home’

‘Well your girl would really like that…’ Waverly replied. She then kissed Nicole on the tip of her nose and led her back out to the bar. Wynonna smirked when the couple appeared and slid back onto her bar stool

‘Better?’ she asked Nicole as her friend sat down next to her

‘Shut up…’ Nicole said as she pushed the brunette jovially on the shoulder


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it guys... Thanks for joining me on this ride-your comments and support mean the world-truly...

Nicole’s shift finished on time on Saturday afternoon, so once she had rushed home, fed CJ, changed into a pair of baggy denim jeans, a tatty white vest, an old flannel shirt and grabbed an overnight bag, she was at the Earp Homestead by 4pm.

Wynonna and Waverly had spent the morning building the flat pack kitchen units in the living room in preparation, and Nicole had managed to convince Lonnie to swap their days off, so she wasn’t due back at work until the night shift on Tuesday evening. This, they all agreed, would be more than enough time to get rid of the old units and tiles, and to at least put some semblance of a new kitchen into place. 

Matty, Wynonna had informed her, would be at the Homestead on Sunday afternoon to plumb in the sink- so they at least had an aim as to what had to be ready by then. Whilst Nicole knew she had nothing to worry about, there was a tiny part of her that was delighted she would be at the Homestead at the same time as Matty. Dolls was also planning to help, so it wasn’t completely unfeasible that they would manage this task over one weekend. 

By the time Nicole actually pulled up, the Earp sisters had been working together non stop for five hours, so it was perhaps unsurprising that Nicole arrived in the middle of an argument. She knew that building Ikea furniture together was a stressful thing to do, and was only feeling mildly guilty that she had suggested the Earp ladies ‘got a head start’ without her. Ultimately though, she was delighted it wasn’t her Waverly was marching away from with a bottle of whisky and a glare.

‘Hey cutie’ Nicole said as she climbed out of her truck and greeted her apparently seething girlfriend

‘WHERE have you been?’ Waverly barked. Nicole then realised that had she have been here, she may well have alleviated the stress that her girlfriend was now, not only carrying, but apparently directing at her

‘Err… work…’ Nicole said. She was hoping the tone she had used was not going to be misconstrued as anything other than honesty. What she did not need was the fiery woman in front of her reading her reply as sassy.

‘Come here’ Nicole said as she reached for the brunette ‘I wanna nuzzle you…’

‘NUZZLE ME?!’ Waverly shouted ‘Have you ANY idea how fucking MADDENING she is?’

‘No, but why don’t you tell me whilst I kiss your neck’

‘How will that help?’ Waverly barked again. Nicole used her index finger to lift her girlfriends chin so they were looking at each other

‘Let me show you how…’ and then Nicole threw caution to the wind and leant in to the crook of Waverly’s neck and kissed her softly. She kissed Waverly again, and then again as she made her way up to her ear, kissing the spot just below it that she knew drove her girlfriend crazy. Waverly, despite herself, melted into the touch and pulled Nicole down firmly onto her bare skin. Nicole then shifted them both and gently guided Waverly onto the side of her car. Neither of the women heard the screen door open and close as the eldest Earp appeared on the porch

‘PUT HER DOWN’ The raven haired woman shouted from where she stood. Waverly huffed and said to Nicole through gritted teeth

‘She’s driving me crazy…’ Waverly was about to shout something, when Nicole gently squeezed her arm and looked her in the eye and replied loudly

‘I strongly suggest you go back inside so you don’t see what I’m about to do to your little sister’

‘PAH, you don’t scare me!’ Wynonna shouted back

‘I mean it Earp, walk away, I have plans…’ Nicole replied, never breaking eye contact with her girlfriend

‘You wouldn’t dare Haught, you know you’re too respectful’

Waverly smiled at Nicole and Nicole knew she had the permission she was seeking. She put her hands on the back of Waverly’s thighs and picked her up-Waverly’s legs instinctively wrapping themselves around her girlfriends waist. The redhead then firmly pushed Waverly up against the car and kissed her fiercely. Waverly responded immediately, and even started to grind herself against the Officers torso

‘This supposed to scare me off?’ Wynonna shouted ‘This is PG 13 at best’

Nicole, not one to be outdone, moved Waverly round to the front of her truck and placed her on the bonnet. She broke their kiss only to whisper ‘go with me okay, this’ll get rid of her’ into Waverly’s ear, which received a slightly nod from the brunette, before Nicole pushed Waverly down so she was lying on the car and Nicole started to slowly make her way down her girlfriends body. 

‘What… what you doin’ there Haught… Haught… Haught stop it…’ Wynonna yelled, but Nicole didn’t stop her very slow descent down Waverly’s torso

Nicole reached Waverly’s belly button and dipped her tongue into it, and Waverly, instinctively, put her hands in her girlfriends hair, and that was what finally broke the oldest Earp

‘ALRIGHT!’ she shouted, her voice an octave higher than usual. Nicole lifted her head, but looked at   
Waverly rather than Wynonna as she shouted 

‘Do I win?’ 

Wynonna was silent, so Nicole winked at Waverly and started to head back down towards Waverly’s belly button

‘YES! ALRIGHT! You win you fucking idiot’ Wynonna relented. Waverly sat up immediately and Nicole stood tall as they both started laughing. Nicole reached out her hand and helped Waverly down off the bonnet. Wynonna was standing looking annoyed at them both, but with the smallest hint of a smile on her lips.

‘So what’s going on? Why are you two shouting at each other?’ Nicole asked as they reached the porch. Waverly muttered something in a language Nicole couldn’t understand and Wynonna looked down at her feet. Nicole looked between the two of them and shook her head

‘I am going inside to put my bag down, get a beer and assess the kitchen-you two can do whatever you want-but I swear to god, I am not staying in this house tonight if you two don’t get your shit together’

‘Whatever mom…’ Wynonna muttered. Nicole turned round and looked at the brunette

‘What did you just say to me?’ Nicole said, giving it her sternest voice and an arched eyebrow

‘… absolutely nothing’ Wynonna replied with a slight smile

‘Yeah… as I thought…’ the redhead replied, before walking into the house and heading up to Waverly’s room to deposit her bag. Wynonna and Waverly looked at each other 

‘Come on then baby girl, show me how I build a cabinet…’

‘You promise you’re going to help me and not criticise me?’

‘I promise I will help you-but that’s all I’m willing to commit to…’

‘Fine…’ Waverly replied as she returned to the house and to the flat pack awaiting them

 

‘What do you mean you haven’t built anything’ Nicole said to Waverly when she reappeared downstairs

‘Well we had to pack the kitchen up and that took longer than expected’ Waverly replied

‘Why?’ Nicole asked, trying not to sound agitated with the Earp women currently standing in front of her. Waverly, at least, had the good grace to look sheepish. Wynonna, however, looked like she couldn’t care less. Nicole took a deep breath before walking over to her friend and taking her by the elbow and marching her back out onto the porch

‘What’s going on?’ the redhead asked the minute the door closed behind them

‘Nothing…’ Wynonna said, not looking her friend in the eye

‘Wynonna, I said I would help on the condition YOU would also help. Now I KNOW you’re not   
ACTUALLY a dickhead, despite the attitude you try and give off, so tell me the truth, or I swear to god I will get back into my truck and drive home’ Nicole said. The two women looked at each other for the longest time before Nicole broke

‘Fine… Sure…’ and she marched to her truck and flung the door open

‘Okay… alright… I’m sorry… I had a fight with Dolls and kinda did something stupid…’

Nicole took a deep breath and turned back to her friend. The brunette in front of her looked down at the floor

‘Hey, look at me…’ Nicole said. Wynonna looked up at the Officer 

‘Did you kill anyone?’

‘No…’

‘Did anyone get hurt?’

‘No…’

‘Did you break the law?’

‘No…’ 

‘Then nothing, and I mean NOTHING is not fixable, and I will not judge you for any mistakes, or indiscretions okay?’

Wynonna nodded and looked back at the floor

‘I slept with someone… Dolls and I had a fight, and I got drunk and slept with a barman from Pussy Willows’

‘Okay… was it consensual?’ Nicole asked

‘Of course’ Wynonna replied immediately ‘And it was… you know… safe…’

‘Are you and Dolls in an exclusive relationship?’

‘Well… no…’

‘So then you didn’t do anything wrong… you might feel shitty about it, but you didn’t do anything wrong…’

‘Yeah… but now I have to tell him…’

‘Well, I mean… TECHNICALLY you don’t…’ Nicole said. Wynonna frowned so Nicole continued ‘I mean, When Waves slept with that guy from her class, I was mad, but mainly at myself-I wanted an exclusive relationship and I just hadn’t said anything, but that was on me, not Waves… She was free to sleep with whomever she wants’

‘Whose free to sleep with whoever they want?’ Waverly asked from the opened door

‘You were when you slept with that guy in the city’ Nicole replied without thinking

‘What… why… why you guys talking about that?’ Waverly asked a little bit more flustered than she   
had hoped. Nicole smiled and reached for her hand

‘Baby, it’s all good-I was just saying that because we weren’t exclusive, I had no right to be mad… but, you know, just so’s we’re clear, if you did it now, I’d be pissed’

‘Well yeah…’ Waverly said, still looking a bit sheepish ‘But seriously, why you guys talking about this?’ Waverly asked once more

Nicole looked at Wynonna and shrugged, making it clear it was up to her to share her news

‘I slept with someone that wasn’t Dolls last night, and Nicole was saying I don’t necessarily need to tell him’

‘Err… yes you do…’ Waverly said ‘You absolutely need to tell him Nonna-you like him, you need to tell him the truth’. Nicole took a breath and then stood up

‘I’m going to get a beer, and then I’m going to start building some flatpack… You guys do this out here then come and join me okay?’ the redhead said. 

She looked at Wynonna and kissed her cheek, Wynonna smiling at her as the redhead pulled away. She didn’t know why she was so comfortable with Nicole showing her this much affection, but Wynonna was, and she even liked the way it made her feel safe. As she walked past Waverly, her girlfriend took her hand and stopped her from going further. Nicole looked down at the smaller woman and smiled, knowing full well Waverly felt mildly uncomfortable with how this conversation had turned

‘Hey… it’s good… we’re good okay?’ Nicole said, without a hint of scepticism. Waverly reached up and kissed her girlfriend quickly on the lips and squeezed her hand

‘Yeah, we are…’ She said whilst looking at Nicole in the eye. They held each other’s gaze for a moment longer before Nicole winked at her girlfriend and disappeared inside. 

She surveyed the front room that had boxes strewn all around it and one kitchen cabinet half built standing in the middle of the floor. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before heading to the kitchen and finding a beer in the fridge.

 

Waverly looked at her sister struggling with whatever was going on in her head

‘You okay?’ she asked, not really knowing what else to say. Her elder sister looked up at her and smiled

‘Yeah, I’ll be fine… but I think I do need to tell him-I like him, you know… not like how you like Nicole, but I do like him, and I don’t want to be a dick to him…’

‘That’s fair Nonna…’ Waverly replied. She liked Dolls, and, more importantly, he was GOOD for her sister. They sat in silence a couple of minutes more, just surveying their land before Wynonna stood abruptly and put an arm around her younger sister

‘Come on baby girl, lets go and help redwood before she loses her shit at us’

‘I know right?!’ Waverly said as they both laughed and went back into the house.

 

Once Nicole, Waverly and Wynonna got into a rhythm, they managed to build all eight floor units in the three hours and they were feeling more on track by the time Dolls arrived with pizza. Once fed and watered, Nicole felt re-energised and they all agreed that if they set their minds to it, they could get most of the tiles off the wall and the old units broken down and onto a makeshift bonfire outside. 

Waverly was in charge of music, so an upbeat playlist had been put on, and the packaging had been cleared from the lounge before they all turned their attention to the dismantling of the now empty kitchen.

Both Dolls and Nicole had brought along some tools, and it was decided that Waverly and Wynonna would concentrate on the actual removal of the old units, and Dolls and Nicole would get to work ripping the tiles off the walls. With everybody concentrating on the tasks in hand, was all pretty much done by 10.30pm. It took another forty minutes to clear up all the debris, and Nicole had decided to get the new tiles on the wall in front of where the sink was going to be, so Matty could just crack straight on with the sink. 

Nicole managed to convince everyone she didn’t need assistance, and whilst they had all mildly protested, it didn’t take much persuasion to get them out from under her feet and leave her to her job. There was something very calming about putting tiles on a wall. Nicole enjoyed the peace that came with it and the level of concentrating to took to get it right. Nicole was a stickler for precision, and the fact this was her girlfriends and her best friends house only spurred on her need for perfection. The first layer of grouting was skimmed onto the wall, and Nicole took her time on the accuracy of it all. She hoped she would be spending more and more time here, and wouldn’t be able to stomach it if the tiling looked even slightly out of place. 

 

As she was only planning on doing the section closest to the sink tonight, Waverly left Nicole to her tiling and went up to run them a bath. She filled the tub with hot water and poured in some essential oils from a shop she likes in the city. Wynonna and Dolls disappeared into her room, so Waverly creeped downstairs to the kitchen to sneak a peek at her partner at work. There was something very soothing about Nicole’s process, and Waverly lost herself watching the glide of the pallet knife and the positioning of the tiles, the little white pegs sticking out from in between each one, ensuring the distance and placement was perfect. 

‘You just going to stand and watch?’ Nicole asked suddenly, without even turning round. Waverly blushed slightly at being caught, and padded over to her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her from behind once the last peg had been put into place. Nicole leant back into the embrace and sighed contentedly

‘Hey…’ Waverly said from behind her, leaning all of her weight onto the woman in front of her

‘Hey baby…’ Nicole replied, weaving their fingers together and pulling her girlfriend impossibly close. 

‘You look so good in those clothes… I wish I had the energy to rip them off you and have my way with you, but I am utterly exhausted’ the tiny woman said against Nicole’s shoulder blades

‘I am delighted to hear it… I do not have the energy to bring my game tonight…’ Nicole replied through a smile. The truth was, Nicole would spend every day exhausted, if it meant she could spend every night showing Waverly just how much she cares, but the thought of wrapping a sleepy Waverly up in her arms and laying gentle kisses all over her shoulders and neck whilst she drifts off to sleep, is enough to make Nicole swoon

‘Come on you… I have a bath waiting for us’ Waverly said as she kissed Nicole between the shoulders and pushed herself off the redhead. 

They slowly made their way up to the bedroom, and undressed in Waverly’s room before heading into the bathroom. Waverly got in first and re-enacted the positioning the first and only time they had had a bath together before. Nicole stepped in, lay down and leant back against Waverly’s torso, another contented sigh escaping the women as they settled down into the warmth. 

After washing, drying and attending to their other bathroom needs, Waverly and Nicole crawled into bed, but as Nicole went to scootch Waverly up to her, the brunette repositioned them and held out her arms for Nicole lie upon her chest. 

‘I want to hold you tonight’ Waverly said simply by way of an explanation-even though Nicole wasn’t asking for one. She loved lying in Waverly’s arms and as she kissed her girlfriends collarbone and closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep, a feeling of safety and contentment wash over her

 

Sunday morning was frantic. It had started off well, with Dolls nominated to go the diner and bring back breakfast for everyone. But once they had all eaten and drank coffee, then came the task of fitting the units into their positions and, it turned out, that whilst Waverly loved research, neither of the Earp women had actually measured their kitchen out. So Nicole, Waverly, Wynonna and Dolls found themselves with eight units built, and only space for six and a half. After much huffing from her girlfriend and an exasperated sigh from her best friend, Nicole managed to convince the Earp sisters to go back to Ikea and to buy a corner unit that is the correct size they need, and her and Dolls would continue with the tiling and the hanging of the wall units and shelving. Waverly and Wynonna bitched and moaned all the way to Waverly’s jeep, but did, at least, agree with Nicole that they were the ones that had to rectify the error. 

 

As the sisters pulled away, Nicole took a deep breath and headed back into the house with Dolls. They worked quickly and quietly with each other and had hung the two wall units and put up the one long shelf before the Earp’s returned. Nicole reached into the fridge to grab some water and offered a bottle to the man beside her

‘Thanks’ Dolls muttered. He was a man of few words, and Nicole sometimes found him difficult to read, but he seemed like a good man, and from everything Waverly had said about him-he seemed good for Wynonna, and that, ultimately, was all Nicole really cared about

‘You okay?’ The redhead ventured-unsure if Wynonna had spoken to Dolls about her indiscretion.

‘Yeah… I will be…’ Dolls replied. He looked up at Nicole and sighed. ‘I guess when you get involved with an Earp, you’re always going to be kept on your toes’

‘Sorry buddy… But you know, if we are going to be with these women, we have to stick together…’

‘True…’ Dolls replied and smiled. He liked Nicole-he’d never tell her that, but not because he’s stubborn, but because that’s just who he is. 

‘So… this guy… Matty, the guy whose coming over to do the plumbing this afternoon…. You know him?’ Nicole asked-trying to be subtle, but failing miserably

‘Nah, not really… why?’

‘I think I might hate him…’ Nicole said. 

‘Why?’

‘Because he fancies Waverly and he’s handsome…’ Nicole said matter of factly. Dolls barked out a laugh

‘Okay… but, you know every one that meets Waverly fancies her right?’ He responded with half a smile

‘Well yeah… but there’s just something about him I don’t like… call it cops intuition…’

‘If we’re giving it a name then we’re calling it what it is… good old fashioned jealousy…’ Dolls retorted

‘I’m NOT jealous…’ Nicole scoffed

‘If we’re going to do this whole… sharing thing… then you are going to be honest with me…’ Dolls said with a raised eyebrow

Nicole paused, looking at him indignantly before conceding ‘Oh alright fine, I’m jealous… but that means you have to keep an eye on it-be my wing-man…’

‘I will do no such thing’ Dolls replied. Nicole scowled at him and Dolls laughed. He gave out a hooting laugh and shook his head ‘fine, I’ll be your wing-man…’

‘I mean… its not funny…’ Nicole said. Dolls just laughed some more and patted Nicole on the shoulder

‘I beg to differ with you there Cole, this is funny… Have you any idea how in love with you Waverly Earp is?!’ Dolls looked at the confused look on the redheads face ‘Well shit… you have NO idea…’ And then he started laughing again

‘Okay, you need to stop laughing at me’ Nicole said, trying to hide her smile. ‘You… you really think she loves me?’ She then asked, trying not to sound vulnerable. 

‘Oh Cole… how are you THIS bad with women?’ Dolls said through a smile

‘Hey, I am outstanding with women’ Nicole shouted, just as the door opened behind them

‘Good to know…’ Waverly said with an arched eyebrow. Nicole whipped around looking like a deer caught in the head lights and Dolls just started laughing again

‘Dude… not cool’ Wynonna said whilst struggling with a heavy box

‘Need a hand with that Wy?’ A deep voice said from behind her. Wynonna’s face broke out into a smile and she turned round to see Matty standing on the porch, wearing a tool belt and a school boy grin.

‘Why thank you Matty, yes, yes I would’ Wynonna replied. Dolls leant into Nicole and whispered 

‘I see what you mean…’ 

Nicole managed to hold back her laugh as she looked at Dolls watching the interaction currently playing out on the porch. It included Wynonna watching Matty pick up the box and wink at her as he carried the unit in with ease and place it down on the floor of the lounge. 

‘I’ll grab the other one now… I mean, if that’s okay with you ladies?’ Matty said.

‘Oh good grief…’ Nicole muttered as she turned round and continued to lay the tiles on the wall. Waverly noticed her girlfriend resuming her work, so crept up to her and wrapped her arms around the taller woman from behind

‘I could hear your eye roll from over there…’ She whispered as she stood on her tip toes and kissed Nicole on the back of the neck

‘I don’t know what you mean’ the Officer replied a little too quickly

‘Sure…’ Waverly said with a smile. As Matty re-entered the house with the other box, Waverly squeezed Nicole tighter to her and whispered ‘And you are right… you are outstanding…’ The smaller woman then slid her hands up under Nicole’s shirt and vest so she could feel the warm flesh beneath it. Nicole leant back into her girlfriend and sighed at the touch

‘If you keep making noises like that, I’m going to have to take you upstairs…’ Waverly whispered. Nicole laughed lightly and turned to face her girlfriend. She then took Waverly’s face in her hands and leant down to whisper into her girlfriend’s ear and made a noise that sounded a lot like Nicole sounds when Waverly tastes her for the first time. Waverly’s hips pushed into Nicole’s and she felt her knee’s start to give way slightly. Waverly kissed Nicole fiercely and as the kiss deepened, they both heard a throat clear from the doorway

‘Sorry to interrupt… I just need to get on if I’m going to make my plan’s for this evening…’ Matty said awkwardly. 

‘Oh sure, sorry Matty, please, go ahead…’ Waverly said with her signature smile. ‘I’ll get out of your hair’ She said with a wink to Nicole as she left the kitchen. Nicole smiled shyly at her retreating girlfriend. She then turned to the man currently standing looking at her tiling and took a deep breath

‘You okay if we work round each other?’ She asked as she picked up where she had left off. 

‘Absolutely, this looks great, well done’ Matty said with a smile. Nicole was pretty sure he didn’t mean to come across as a patronising ass hat, but that’s exactly what he did anyway. She took another deep breath and picked up the tile, determined to not have this guy get into her head. 

 

Matty worked quickly, and once Waverly and Wynonna had decided where exactly they wanted the new Belfast sink, and positioned the unit it would sit atop, it was pretty easy for him to plumb in as it was practically where the old tin sink had stood. Once Nicole had finished placing all the tiles precisly on the wall, her and Dolls set about chopping up all the old units outside in preparation for the bonfire Wynonna was insisting on later. Nicole’s interaction with Matty had been limited-both of them managing to work round each other quietly- and whilst it had been perfectly fine, Nicole was relieved when she could get outside and away from the man that made her feel so uneasy

 

Waverly re-entered the kitchen just as Matty was finishing the last of the plumbing. She smiled over at him as she took in all he’d achieved in a short space of time

‘This all looks great, thanks Matty-you’re a life saver’ Waverly said as she smiled at him

‘Happy to do it Waves’ Matty replied, returning her smile

‘You must let us pay you for your time, please I insist’ Waverly said

‘How about dinner?’ Matty asked. 

‘Matty… We’ve talked about this… I’m in a relationship…’

‘I know, and Nicole is fine… but come on Waves, you know this isn’t something permanent…’ Matty said, looking seriously at the brunette

‘Okay, Matty, you need to stop. You’re in my home…’ Waverly said, not unkindly.

‘Waves, you deserve someone that will give you everything, and I mean everything. Unconditional love, a home, a family… Nicole’s great and all, but she can’t give you all that. I can. I’ve been waiting for you to be ready Waverly since we were 15 years old… Please Waverly, I know you want kids, I know you… just think about it…’ Matty said. Waverly was about to reply when she heard someone behind her.

‘I think you should probably get going Matty’ Nicole said ‘We wouldn’t want to keep you any longer than necessary’ 

Matty looked between the two women and then stood tall. Nicole could swear he puffed up his chest

‘I think that’s probably for Waverly to decide don’t you Nicole’ Matty said. Nicole smiled and shook her head

‘Do you know what, you are absolutely right Matty…’ Nicole said through a smile. Waverly stepped towards the man in front of her and said

‘Nicole is my partner Matty, she has politely asked you to leave, I think you should probably do as she asks before you have to deal with me and Wynonna… Send an invoice over to Nicole and we shall get it paid as soon as it’s received’ Waverly said before she turned on her heal and marched away to the front door. Wynonna and Dolls appeared on the porch just as Waverly yanked open the entrance and held it firm for Matty to pass through

‘Waves… what’s going on?’ Wynonna asked

‘Matty was just leaving… Isn’t that right Matty?’ Waverly said through a grimace. He walked out onto the porch followed by Nicole

‘Just… just think about what I’m saying Waverly… the life I’m offering you… She can’t… she can’t give you that’ Matty said in a small voice

‘What the fuck is going on please?’ Wynonna said, agitation creeping into her voice. Nicole sighed and looked over at her friend

‘Matty will send an invoice over to me, I’m going to get changed’ Nicole said simply before retreating back into the house and up the stairs to Waverly’s room. She was furious with the man currently answering to the Eldest Earp, and she didn’t want to waste her energy thinking about what he had said to her girlfriend. 

Waverly swung round to face her sister and through gritted teeth, punctuating every word, she said

‘Get. Him. Off. Our. Land’ before she turned and marched back into the house to find her girlfriend. 

She didn’t know how much Nicole had heard, but she wanted to make sure the redhead knew just how wrong he was about everything. She walked into the kitchen and found it empty, so she headed upstairs, hoping her girlfriend was in her room, and not locked away in the bathroom. She opened her door and found Nicole peering out of the window and off into the distance. Closing the door behind her, Waverly tried to find the right words to say to her girlfriend

‘It’s bullshit’ Waverly said simply. Nicole sighed, but didn’t turn around. Waverly persisted ‘I mean it Nicole, it’s bullshit. I don’t know how much you heard, but everything he said is utter bullshit…’

‘Waverly…’ Nicole said simply. She then turned and faced her girlfriend ‘Do you want children?’ the redhead asked. Waverly frowned as she thought about it

‘Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it… do you?’ The brunette asked. Nicole took a deep breath and turned to face her girlfriend near the door

‘I do yeah… always have done-but I’ve never wanted to carry a child-I always thought I’d adopt or marry someone who has kids, or has the desire to carry them…’ Nicole said, honestly. ‘I really, really like you Waverly, and, without sounding like a typical, fast moving lesbian, I can see us having a future-so I need you to think about that sort of thing. I’m not talking about right now, but if our future is together… look I just don’t want you to suddenly realise five years down that I can’t give you what you want… because if I’m totally honest with you Waverly, I don’t think I could recover from it…’

Nicole was cut off by Waverly launching herself at her girlfriend. Waverly kissed her passionately at first, but then slowed it right down. She ran her hands through red hair, and moaned when Nicole’s tongue slipped across her bottom lip and granted it access. Waverly suddenly pulled away and took Nicole’s face in her hands, drawing Nicole’s eyes to her own.

‘I’ll have them… and if that doesn’t work, or it’s too expensive, then we’ll adopt-we’ll have a house full of kids… and… and… I know you’re trying desperately not to be a cliché, but I think I’m more gay than I thought, because… because Nicole, you’re it for me… And I don’t care that we’ve only known each other a short while, I know who I am, and I know what I want. And its you Nicole, from the first second I saw you… its always been you…’ Waverly said, smiling as she finished. Nicole smiled down at the woman in her arms

‘Yeah?’ The red head asked, her dimples on full display

‘Dolls is right, you are just USELESS with women…’ Waverly joked as she pulled Nicole into her once more

‘I resent that…’ Nicole huffed ‘But I’ll take it… I think I might be a little bit in love with you Waverly Earp…’

‘Well its about fucking time…’ Waverly said as she leant in again to take Nicole Haught’s lips once more

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfic, so go easy on me...


End file.
